Lost Diamond
by rexlover180
Summary: In a world where nearly every country is ruled by a monarchy, Gilbert was abandoned as a kid in New York. One day, he meets a boy that he instantly falls in love with. Sadly, this boy turned out to be a prince of America-Canada, so his love is a lost cause. But what happens when he finds a genie? PruCan based on Aladdin.
1. Bread Lines

Chapter 1. Bread Lines.

Gilbert had lived on the streets of New York City for his whole life. At least, as long as he could remember. He knew his family ditched him, probably because he looked like such a freak. The people on the streets still gawk at him because of how he looked. Honestly, he thought he looked pretty damn awesome. His hair was snow white and ragged, obviously cut with his pocket knife, and he had bright red eyes. His clothing was mainly made up of rags, the only thing he could find on short notice during his growth spurts. Normally, people wouldn't even try to help him because he was "of the devil" or some shit like that.

Because of all of this, he was used to being on his own. Well, he did have one friend. A little yellow bird he had found when he was in some dark alley. He named it Gilbird, after his awesome self, of course. Gilbird had been his best and only friend for pretty much his entire life. They were partners in crime together, inseparable.

Every day was pretty much the same; find some food, steal it, run away from the guards, get to their hideout, and then repeat for lunch and dinner. Other than that, he spent his time finding some new awesome things to put in their hideout, like new blankets for curtains or pillows so that he won't wake up with that kink in his neck.

This was exactly what he was doing today; stealing some possibly moldy bread from some market in the middle of the street he didn't understand. Apparently it was for some of the higher-ups, but there was a section for the people on the streets. They did have to pay, though, but Gilbert wasn't having that. Part of the life of being on the streets means you have no money.

Someone screamed just as Gilbert snatched up his rather large loaf of bread.

"The freak's here!" a woman shouted and Gilbert quickly tried to duck down and run out of there as fast as he could, but he ran straight into the captain of the guard.

"I see the cow's on time as usual," Gilbert winked at the woman. To anyone else, she could probably be considered beautiful with her flowing light brown hair and glittering green eyes. Her outfit could be considered rather flattering as well. It was costumed to her, Gilbert bet. It was different than all the others. It was black, similar to the others, but the trim around her uniform was gold, in comparison to the red that the regular soldiers had. It was a tight-fitting blouse that had sleeves down to her forearms and slim fitting pants. It all made her look like a bad ass, but still rather delicate. But Gilbert knew better than anybody else that she was stronger than any guy could be and wicked with her frying pan… Elizaveta…whatever her last name was. Gilbert never really cared much for last names, especially since he didn't even care enough to have one.

"Still stealing?" Elizaveta raised an eyebrow.

"You bet," Gilbert nodded and started running as quickly as he could in the other direction, through the market. Luckily, Gilbird had proved to be useful yet again and flew right in Elizaveta's line of sight, making her blunder.

"After him!" Elizaveta yelled and more guards appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and Gilbert ran faster. Normal thieves weren't treated like this. Gilbert, however, was special. He always got away, and he always stole. Every day, without fail. They didn't even know his name, and no wanted posters were up. Obviously, he was just a simple thief stealing food. There was more than enough food to go around, especially to the princes. They probably ate lavishly every day… The royal jerk-offs…

"Gotcha," Elizaveta panted as Gilbert felt someone grab onto his wrist, forcing him to halt.

"Getting faster, I see," Gilbert laughed, knowing full well that he could get out of this. He'd gotten out of harder situations before. This was a crowded market, after all. All he would need to do is snag a hat and blend in with everyone else around him.

"While you only get slower," Elizaveta glared at him. "Now just give up and turn yourself into us."

"Hey, last I checked, I'm not a wanted criminal," Gilbert shrugged. "Don't need to turn myself in." Gilbert whistled, the signal for Gilbert, who came swooping in and clawed at Elizaveta's hand. She let go, thankfully and Gilbert tore off running again. He narrowly avoided running right into several guards and finally found a stand selling hats. He quickly snagged a beanie and pulled it over his white hair and ran just a little further before finding a place where no guards were and stepping in pace with all of the other people. He was even able to snag some sunglasses and placed them over his eyes. Gilbird was happily flying overhead and they were now fully undercover. Gilbert even managed to stuff the bread into his shirt.

As he slowly started making his way back to his hideout, he managed to even walk past Elizaveta yelling at her guards to find him without her even noticing. He couldn't make it to his hideout, though, because, apparently a new wave of female royalty was arriving. Duchesses, princesses, countesses, probably even archduchesses. He was shoved to the side of the street with everyone else as he watched the line of perfectly groomed horses strut by with equally well groomed women riding on top of them.

"More girls for Prince Matthew," a man next to me scoffed.

"Think he'll ever choose one?"

"Doubt it."

"Why doesn't Alfred just take over? I'm sure he's liked some of these girls."

One of the women trotting by even winked and blew kisses in their direction, making Gilbert gag, but the men around him practically swooned.

"She's pretty, right, man?" one of the men patted Gilbert roughly on the back. Now, Gilbert wasn't necessarily strong, and he wasn't quite expecting such a hard pat, so he wound up getting shoved right into the street, into the parade. His sunglasses clattered to the ground as he looked up and saw a horse's hoof making its way for his head and he quickly ducked out of the way, but his beanie didn't quite make it and it slid off.

The women were already screaming when he was shoved onto the ground, apparently worried about their horses, but now they were screaming at him. The freak with the while hair and red eyes.

"Oh, God! Look at him!"

"What a freak!"

"Is America-Canada really safe?!"

"There!" that voice was Elizaveta's and Gilbert was never so happy to hear a familiar voice.

"See ya, ladies," Gilbert winked at them, trying to act oblivious to the way the women were reacting to him.

"Go back to the slums, freak!" one spat at him as he ran right through their parade and right into the thick crowd. He was able to easily weave his way through the group and make it to the not crowded parts of the city unscathed. He ran through quite a few back allies until he finally made it to his hideout, Gilbird perched in the window.

"Close one, right?" Gilbert laughed, pulling out his bread triumphantly. His laugh died down rather quickly, though, reflecting back to earlier. "Freak, huh…Guess I should be used to that, right Gilbird? Freak's just another word for awesome."

The bird tweeted happily in reply and Gilbert laughed, crumbling up some of the loaf into breadcrumbs that he tossed at the windowsill. Luckily for him, Gilbird was small, so feeding him wasn't exactly a hard feat.

"One day we'll show 'em, right?" Gilbert continued talking to his bird, taking a bit of his bread. "We'll show 'em just how awesome we are."

* * *

"So how many are we getting today?" Matthew asked his brother bordely.

"Uh, 22, I think," Alfred shrugged, leaning back in his throne. Matthew simply idly sat in the throne next to him. He was fully aware that this was the throne meant for the Queen, but he couldn't quite care less. Alfred was the one sitting in the King's throne.

He had his brother were dressed in equally princly outfits, though Matthew's was far more modest. Alfred was dressed in practically an entire tuxedo, dark blue, and incredibly shiny dress shoes. Matthew, however, was in brown slacks, a white dress shirt, and a brown vest. The two were obviously related, looking nearly exactly like each other, but there were their differences. Alfred's sandy blonde hair was slickly put in place, save for that odd cowlick. Matthew prefered to have his hair free, so he let it do what it wanted. Alfred's bright blue eyes lit up happily with every person that passed him by. Matthew's softer blue eyes simply seemed far away, uninterested. Alfred always looked peppy, his signiture smile always greeting guests. Matthew simply stayed in his seat, preferring to stay to himself.

"Which means 22 more girls to send home crying," Matthew sighed. He didn't like making girls cry, it just happened. They were all there to hopefully become the next Queen of America-Canada, but Matthew never really found an interest in any of the girls that came in. Apparently, he was supposed to be the next King now that he and Alfred's dad was dead. Alfred was older, though he was very intent on not being King. It was "not his style" and he said he would prefer to be a knight, so he wound up dumping the responsibility onto Matthew, who needed a Queen to be able to take the throne. For now, the brothers were running the country together, with some help from the council.

"Well, you could try to be at least a little positive, dude," Alfred offered him a smile.

"I've tried with the past hundred girls," Matthew stated. "I gave it my best shot. Not one of them is a person I would consider marrying. And they're all the same, practically clones!"

"Okay, I agree with you," Alfred sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "But, look, there's a reason we're bringing in so many. Maybe one of them will be different eventually."

"I was thinking that way 50 girls ago," Matthew sighed and rested his head in his hands as the giant door that led to the front courtyard, where the girls were marched through after parading through the city like obnoxious brats, opened. The women slowly filed in, making the familiar line that the rest of them did. He always hated the royal families that flaunted their wealth. The Canadian royalty always lived rather modestly, giving the majority of their money to the people. America, however, seemed to enjoy making rather large buildings as monuments to their wealth.

"Hey, girls!" Alfred cheered happily, standing up and silencing the chatting girls, all in some obnoxiously expensive gown. "So, most of you should know the drill. We're pretty picky, as you can tell by the amount of girls that have been told no. First, you'll go through our trusty Captain of the Guard, Elizaveta, who is probably out patrolling right now. Then, you'll go through myself and my advisor, Francis. If you can make it through all of that, you'll meet my brother one-on-one. Then we'll find out if he likes you enough after that."

Matthew just glanced at the girls all standing next to each other, finding nothing different than he'd seen already. The kinds of girls that had been let through to him were usually ditsy and obviously scripted of some kind. A lot of people wanted to be allies with America-Canada, as it was quickly growing to be the most popular country in the world. But scripting the girls to try to see if Matthew would like them? It was just sick…

"You guys can all go to your rooms for now, and we'll be sure to call you out once Elizaveta gets back," Alfred nodded cheerfully.

"I don't know how you manage to keep such a cheerful attitude all the time," Matthew muttered, watching the girls file out to the side with perfect poise.

"It's called charisma," Alfred smiled. "Something all us heroes have. Makes you noticeable."

"I'm perfectly happy not being noticeable," Matthew sighed. "You just made me the world's number one target by making me the next King."

"Probably number two target," Alfred sighed. "Germany's still looking for their lost prince."

"I have no idea why," Matthew muttered.

"Because some people like to be optimists," Alfred smirked.

"Whatever," Matthew sighed, rolling his eyes, but couldn't help but laugh slightly. He did want to have fun with his brother, like the good old days when their parents were in charge. Sadly, though, now they were forced to be responsible. And Matthew was getting rather tired of it.

It was a few hours later when the 3 girls cleared through Elizaveta, Alfred, and Francis came through Matthew's room. All three of them were the same in Matthew's mind, all scripted and all superficial. So Matthew just simply said sorry and sent them away. His pet polar bear did a little to help him with that. He was a gift from his mother, but his name always seemed to escape Matthew.

"Thanks for helping the last one out, Kumagichi," Matthew smiled at him. The last girl seemed to take it rather hard, refusing to leave and even going so far as trying to basically assault Matthew. Luckily, the small polar bear could be violent when he wanted to. The bear looked up at him, as if saying "you're welcome."

"I'm really sorry for doing this," Matthew knelt down to pet the bear, looking over at the rags he had placed out on his bed. He'd been planning this for quite a while now. He knew Alfred would wait about 10 minutes after the last girl left before coming in to check on Matthew, just enough time for him to slip away and out into the city.

Running away wasn't his first choice, but it was all that was left. Now Alfred would have to see what it felt like to get responsibilities dumped onto him.

"Try not to kill Alfred," Matthew smiled at his bear, who did in fact have a tendency to try to attack Alfred. He swiftly changed into the crudely sewn together rags he assumed the people on the other side wore and slipped onto his balcony. It was only about two stories up and he could climb down the vines on the side and have a straight shot through the garden to the gate in the wall and make it out in no time.

"See ya later."

With that, Matthew disappeared from his room. Hopefully, forever.

* * *

**Voila! New story time! I just finished one up and so I decided to start a new one! It's Aladdin themed! Can you tell?**

**Alright, so I'm gonna give you a quick run-down of this world. I came up with it when I wondered what the world would be like if every country were run by a monarchy. So I did that. A few of the countries have changed around with their responsibilities. America, for instance, hasn't had to fight so many wars, so it's focus isn't on weaponry, but rather technology. The city of New York is very different from what it is now, but I'll explain that later. Canada was one of the most popular countries in the world, and then Matthew and Alfred's parents decided to get married and merge the countries. America-Canada, ladies and gentleman. Other countries that have a sharp contrast with the real world...Germany has avoided many dictators and hasn't had to fight wars, so it's focused mainly on medical things. Italy, however, went into a lot of wars, so their probably the most militaristic country in the world.**

**Anyway, now that that's over with...tell me what you think! I'm pretty happy with my character choice on this one and it's my first chapter fic where the main pairing is PruCan, so I'll need people to tell me how I'm doing! I doubt there will be any side pairings, and don't worry, I will be deviating slightly from the plot of Aladdin to give you a few surprises! So look out for those!**

**Anyway, I'm done talking, so please review!**

**And I do not and never will own Hetalia.**


	2. Is It Love?

Chapter 2. Is It Love?

Gilbert was happy. He was hiding out on top of a one floor building, munching on a Pop Tart he had found and Gilbird was chirping happily, flying in circles around his head. The Captain of the guard wasn't even around today, some shit in the castle to deal with or whatever. He could just tell that today was going to be a good day. The sun was out and there was a nice breeze floating by. The royal women were even leaving, which was great. He always hated the pompous brats.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Gilbert heard someone growl below him and he looked down at the street. It was any regular food stand, nothing special and nothing he would eat from. The vendor was a big, burly man, someone who could definitely kick Gilbert's skinny (awesome) ass if he wasn't careful. There was a boy there, dressed in rags that seemed to be terrified for his life.

"I-I was just looking for food," the boy mumbled. Gilbert sighed, looking to Gilbird, who chirped and already flew down to the stand.

"The awesome me to the rescue," Gilbert sighed, finishing his Pop Tart and easily sliding down the gutter on the side of the building and landing on the ground.

"You gonna pay for that?" the burly man spat at the boy, who flinched away.

"I-I was just…" the boy looked like he was completely lost and Gilbert let out a sigh before wrapping his arm about the poor kid's shoulders.

"There you are! I was lookin' for ya!" Gilbert laughed, finally giving the boy a proper look. He looked pretty cute, in all honesty; he would definitely be eaten alive on these streets alone. He had light brown, wavy hair with this odd curl coming out of the top and bright blue eyes with little purple specks in them hidden behind some slightly crooked glasses. Gilbert couldn't help but wonder where the kid could've gotten glasses; Gilbert would be lucky if he could find shoes. The child seemed slightly startled by Gilbert, but he was used to that…

"You know him?" the burly vendor sighed.

"Don't all of us street rats know each other?" Gilbert smirked. "Now, what seems to be wrong here?"

"He was just about ready to steal from me," the vendor glared at the boy.

"And I'm sure I've stolen from you about 10 times," Gilbert cackled. That was a lie, but he just needed to get the guy distracted. "What's the big deal?"

"You little freak!" the vendor snapped and made a move that looked like he meant to attack, Gilbert, but luckily his trusty yellow chick swooped in and clawed at his face, giving them time to run.

"Run," Gilbert said to the boy and they both started running in the opposite direction of the stand. Once they had ran a fair distance, Gilbert made them turn a sharp corner and motioned for the boy to stop.

"Th-thank you," the boy mumbled.

"You gotta learn to be more careful," Gilbert sighed.

"What about you?" the boy asked quietly, apparently very concerned, something Gilbert was definitely not used to. "You could've gotten hurt helping me."

"Nah, I'm fine," Gilbert said with a wave of his hand as Gilbert chirped, coming around the corner and nestling in Gilbert's hair. "How long have you been on your own, kid?" Gilbert decided risking continuing the conversation, since the kid didn't seem to hate him yet.

"N-Not very long," the kid muttered, looking at the ground.

"Just be more careful," Gilbert rolled his eyes and started to walk away. "I'll be heading out now."

"Wait," the kid called out to him, grabbing onto his wrist. Gilbert raised his eyebrow and glanced back at him. "Um…c-could you stay and help me?"

"Stay? No," Gilbert shook his head. "Help? Sure. You're gonna have to come with me, though. Obviously, I'm pretty noticeable and can't stay in one place for too long."

"R-Right…" the kid nodded and Gilbert started walking, the kid following him with his hand still latched onto his wrist. Gilbert couldn't help but smile, though. For once, a person didn't yell at him and run away upon the sight of him… Maybe this kid wasn't half bad… He could even be considered awesome, given time.

The two wordlessly made their way through the crowded streets until they finally got to Gilbert's hideout. Gilbert led the way through the dilapidated building easily, helping the kid on occasions when he needed it. Finally, they made it up to the room at the top, decorated with assorted chairs and blankets and even a mattress that were abandoned on the street.

"Wow," the boy murmured.

"Pretty awesome, right?" Gilbert smirked, walking up to the rather large window on the other end of the room. "I found this place a while back and it's been abandoned since before I was even born, so I took it as my own!"

"You did this all on your own?" the boy asked.

"Hell yeah," Gilbert said proudly. He was fairly positive this was the longest conversation he'd ever had with another person. It felt pretty good. The only reason he knew how to talk this well was practice with Gilbird and hearing everyone else talk. "I've never had anyone to help anyway, other than Gilbird, of course."

"Gilbird?" the boy giggled slightly as said bird flew up to him, nuzzling his cheek.

"He likes you," Gilbert laughed. "Then that means I can, too."

"You need your bird to approve of people for you?" the boy asked. Gilbert couldn't help but wonder at the kid's bright smile. There was no way a kid on the streets could keep that up.

"So, where you from?" Gilbert asked, changing the subject out of his own curiosity. "I don't think I've ever seen you around," he plopped himself onto a dirty old recliner.

"That doesn't matter," the boy sighed, looking at the ground and leaning against a wall. "I ran away and I'm not going back…"

"Well, as long as you're here," Gilbert stated, "you're gonna need to learn how to work the streets better on your own."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," the boy muttered.

"Hey, don't look so sad," Gilbert stood up and walked over to the boy. "You ran away so you could be free, right?"

"Um, yeah," the boy nodded slowly.

"Then you're like a bird," Gilbert smiled. "That's what I'll call ya then; my Birdie."

"Your Birdie?" the boy raised an eyebrow at him.

"No charge for the awesome new name," Gilbert shrugged, walking away slightly.

"You know, it's kind of funny," Birdie smiled slightly. "I'm pretty sure this is the most anyone's really paid attention to me."

"Well, no wonder you ran away," Gilbert cackled. "How could anyone ignore you?"

"I seem to have this uncanny ability to be invisible," Birdie sighed, slumping down on one of the chairs.

"Well, that would come in handy with me," Gilbert smirked. "I'm like a freaking neon sign out there."

"At least you're noticed," Birdie stated.

"Noticed by people like the guards, who I'm sure pretty much want me dead by now," Gilbert said.

"No one ever listens to me," Birdie said. At this point, the two were talking to themselves, reminiscing in their own pasts.

"No one even gives me a chance."

"It just makes you feel so…"

"I've always just been…"

"Alone." The two spoke the last word at the same time and immediately went to look at each other.

"Guess we're a lot more similar than I thought, Birdie," Gilbert chuckled.

"You don't look like someone who would feel that way," Birdie stated curiously.

"I live with a bird," Gilbert laughed. "I'm awesome, but everyone's got their bad spots."

"Yeah, I guess," Birdie smiled slightly.

"So, people ignore you?" Gilbert asked, sitting on the floor in front of Birdie.

"A lot of the time, yeah," Birdie shrugged. "My brother is the one that gets all the attention. A lot of people pretend they care about me, but it's just because they want to get in good with our family."

"You a rich kid?" Gilbert asked curiously and Birdie jumped, obviously not meaning to give away that much.

"Uh…yeah, sorta," Birdie muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

"So, you're rich," Gilbert mulled over the idea in his head. "And you ran away. So you decide to go to the slumps in New York. With no money. And then try to get food from a stand with a giant ass dude watching it?"

"I didn't think it through very well," Birdie chuckled shyly.

"Well, luckily, you have the awesome me around to help you out," Gilbert burst out laughing. "Why didn't your epic invisible skills work on that guy?"

"I-I don't know," Birdie shrugged. "It doesn't always work the way I want it to."

"Perfect that and you've got it made," Gilbert started trying to stifle his laughter.

"I guess," Birdie stated. "So, how long have you been on the streets?"

"Since I can remember," Gilbert shrugged. "I know I had a family once, but I can't really remember them that well. As far as I can tell, they just ditched me."

"Oh, I-I'm sorry," Birdie muttered, looking down.

"Hey, I'm totally over it," Gilbert smiled in an effort to show that he was happy. He was beginning to notice that he really didn't like the idea of seeing this boy sad. "I'm still just a kid, basically, but I know for sure I'm gonna do some pretty awesome things to the big world out there."

"Those are pretty big dreams for someone living in an abandoned building," Birdie looked back up at him, but there was a small smile tracing his face.

"The only way to get out is to dream big, Birdie!" Gilbert laughed, springing up to his feet. "You dreamt big, wanting to get out of your family. And it got you out, right?"

"We'll see for how long," Birdie muttered under his breath. It obviously wasn't meant for Gilbert to hear, so he decidedly ignored it.

"Anyway," Gilbert stretched. "Since it seems that I'll be the one taking care of you for the time being, it is my duty to show you around my town."

"Your town?" Birdie raised an eyebrow.

"Hell yeah!" Gilbert laughed. "No one can prowl these streets like I can! I'm the best street rat there is!"

"You even call yourself a street rat?" Birdie asked.

"What? Is that the rich kid pet name for us?" Gilbert asked, almost amused. He wouldn't put it past the rich people to think of them like pests…

"I-I never did!" Birdie affirmed quickly. "People like Francis…they did…"

"I've never really liked fancy names like that," Gilbert sighed. "Francis just sounds like some pompous French dude or something."

"You couldn't be more right," Birdie giggled.

"Alright, so we gonna go touring?" Gilbert asked, holding out his hand. "I can show you the awesome view from the tops of the buildings!"

"Uh…" Birdie paused, his hand already out slightly, like he was calculating if he should risk going with Gilbert. Eventually, though, Birdie did grab onto his hand and Gilbert helped him stand. "Sure."

"Awesome," Gilbert smiled and started pulling Birdie through the building.

* * *

**Yay! Chapter 2! They finally met and stuff is getting happy! Woot! So far, I am staying pretty close to the actual plot. I think where I begin to stray will be about chapter four... Also! Those of you who haven't read my stories before, I usually update fairly quickly. Since it's summer and I'm only writing one other story right now, I should be able to update every couple days.**

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and followed and favorited already! It means a lot to a new story! So please keep up the reviews!**


	3. Lost and Found

Chapter 3. Lost and Found.

Matthew had his doubts about this boy the first time he saw him. In all honesty, his appearance scared him, the blood-red eyes and the snow white hair and the fact that it was obvious he had no money for hygeine. But when Matthew saw the way he almost walked away, the near sadness in those eyes, he could see that he really wasn't all that scary. At first, Matthew could have sworn that he looked familiar…almost like he was that missing prince… But when he said that his family abandoned him, Matthew knew it wasn't the prince. His family searched for him for weeks in New York. They only stopped when they had to return to Germany.

This stranger, though, he was so…different. He was such a refreshing change from his life in the castle, where everyone ignored him. This stranger gave him practically his undivided attention, which was rather odd considering how egotistical he seemed. Matthew had just met this boy, and yet he was willing to have him lead him all the way to the top of this abandoned old building.

"What are we doing?" Matthew dared to ask the stranger. They were deep in New York and this would be the first time Matthew actually got a good look at the capital of America. There were lights everywhere, decorating the city with an amazing glow. Screens were on nearly every building, showing off the latest technology the royal family had already had for months. People bustled around the city, all of them making a sea of constant movement. It was breath taking…The way that the sun high up met with the blue of the sky and yet how it wasn't too hot, thanks to the canopy around the city.

"Like I said, I'm helping you tour," the stranger smiled, holding out his hand for Matthew to take once again. "Do you trust me?"

"I…uh…" Matthew stared down at the hand for a while. He wanted, more than anything, to be able to say yes. This stranger was the most real person he had met in his life. Someone who wasn't washed down by the idea of royalty and being the one on top. All he wanted to do was have a good time and hang out with Matthew for who he was. Not for what he might gain. "…Yes." Matthew slowly took the stranger's hand and he closed his hand over it.

"Good," the stranger nodded. "Get ready to jump."

"What?" Matthew blinked and the stranger pointed to the building that wasn't too far away and just about the same height as this one.

"The best way to show a person around New York isn't by the ground," the stranger winked. "You can see it way better from the rooftops."

"A-Are you sure?" Matthew asked, looking down the side of the building. If he were to fall, he would most certainly get injured. Possibly die.

"Relax, Birdie," the stranger laughed. "The only way you would fall is if I died."

"Are you so sure about that?" Matthew smiled slightly. Looking into the eyes of this stranger did make him feel assured. He would follow this man through a battlefield, probably.

"The awesome me would never let you fall," the stranger laughed. "You ready?"

"I-I think so," Matthew nodded slowly, looking at the gap. It wasn't very large, perhaps just a bit smaller than he was tall.

"Let me ask this again," the stranger smiled. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Matthew nodded, tightening his grip on the man's hand.

"Awesome," the stranger nodded and started running to the ledge. Matthew followed his speed easily. Most people assumed that Matthew was weak in comparison to his brother, and that was true. But he did have one thing over his brother; speed. Matthew had always been faster than Alfred, though he would never admit that.

When they reached the end, they both jumped and Matthew let out a little squeak as he passed over the gap and they landed onto the other side. Matthew stumbled forward slightly as they landed, but other than that, he was okay.

"Scared?" the stranger laughed and Matthew hit him on the shoulder with his free hand.

"That was my first time jumping a building," Matthew argued with him.

"Obviously not your first time running," the stranger laughed. "I thought you said you were a rich kid, but you can probably run better than I can. Where'd you learn to do that?"

"I have a lot of spare time," Matthew smirked. "With a family like mine, I need to be good at something so I'm not forgotten."

"Well, I liked you before I knew you could run," the stranger smirked. "Ready to go again?" Matthew looked ahead at the next building. This one was slightly lower, so Matthew already knew that he had to place his footing just right or he could injure his feet.

"Yeah," Matthew nodded. And then they were running again. They reached the edge and jumped like last time and, at the last second, the stranger let go. Matthew stumbled slightly and wound up kneeling down, but the stranger simply landed by rolling for a bit and then coming out standing.

"Easiest way to land on this thing," the stranger stretched slightly and then held out his hand once again. "Wanna keep going?"

"Of course," Matthew took the hand. This was the most fun he had ever had in his life, he was pretty sure. He could feel the adrenaline pumping in him as he looked to the next building. This one was probably a story higher than they were now.

"You're gonna need to grab onto the ledge, fair warning," the stranger smirked and Matthew nodded. "And don't worry, I won't let you fall."

"I already know that," Matthew smiled and he started running. The stranger laughed and easily caught up with him. They jumped and once again, the stranger let go and they both clung to the ledge of the building. The stranger easily hoisted himself up in no time, but Matthew wasn't quite that strong. He felt his fingers ache slightly as he tried to get himself up. Just when his left hand could no longer take it and let go, a pale hand held onto it and Matthew felt himself get pulled up. The second he could, he put his feet onto the roof of the building and made it the rest of the way on his own.

"Not as strong as you are fast, huh?" the stranger smirked.

"Not exactly," Matthew smiled, starting to pant a little.

"Can you handle the rest of the way?" the stranger asked.

"How much further until we stop?" Matthew asked.

"A couple blocks," the stranger shrugged.

"See if you can keep up, then," Matthew smiled and started running ahead of him.

They continued jumping buildings, some with large gaps, some with gaps one could walk across. Some were taller, some were shorter. It was turning into a game for them. It would have been a race, if Matthew had any idea where he was going. The stranger would turn sometimes, nearly leaving Matthew in the dust if he hadn't promised not to let Matthew fall. He had only almost fallen twice more and other than that, he was taking care of himself rather well. He even got a few scrapes here and there, but he really couldn't have cared less.

"Alright, close your eyes," the stranger panted. Even for someone like him, a run this long must have been tiring. Matthew had just landed on the last building when he was told to do this and he did. This stranger had more than earned his trust on their way here. Matthew was even thinking more about this man than he had anyone else. Definitely more than the women who had come in to try to win his heart.

"Alright, I promise I won't shove you off the side of this building," the stranger stated and started leading Matthew across the building. "So try not to be slow."

"I'll try," Matthew chuckled as he continued walking.

"One more step," the stranger said and Matthew complied, coming to a stop. "Alright, now open your eyes."

Slowly, Matthew obeyed. Through his closed eyes, he could already tell that there was a lot of light, but that was an understatement when he finally opened them. He had no idea that they managed to get this high up, but they were at least 12 stories high and it seemed like they were just on the edge of the middle of the city, where the square was. The bright, colorful billboards, the masses of people, the beautiful sun, already beginning to set over the sides of the large buildings.

Even the castle could have been considered beautiful, though Matthew knew what happened in there. It stood out in comparison to the rest of the city, which was all high-tech and cutting edge. The castle, however, was the same as what was created by the British when they helped the Americans build their monarchy hundreds of years ago. It had pillars and arches and any kind of architecture style that was useful at the time. It could easily be considered beautiful by the people that didn't live inside it.

"Well?" the stranger asked, leaning slightly into Matthew's vision.

"I-It's beautiful," Matthew smiled.

"Awesome view of that castle, huh?" the stranger puffed out his chest proudly.

"It does look really nice from here, doesn't it?" Matthew nodded.

"You ever been in it?" the stranger asked curiously. "You are a rich kid, after all."

"Uh, no," Matthew shook his head. "I've never been inside of it before."

"Bet the inside is as gaudy as it is on the outside," the stranger smirked and Matthew giggled. He couldn't agree more.

"I bet it's as gaudy as the girls they send in for Prince Matthew," Matthew laughed and the stranger did, too.

"You now, I scared the shit out of the last wave that went through," the stranger said proudly. "Nearly got trampled by their horses in the process!"

"I bet they aren't too hard to scare," Matthew laughed.

"Show them an albino and they'll run for the hills!" the stranger cackled.

"I've never seen the city like this," Matthew smiled and went to sit down on the edge of the building. He stared at the square, watching as so many people went about their day. There were flags strewn everywhere, both the American and the Canadian, and no telling how many stands. Matthew had never seen the city in a proper way. Any time he did move around the city, it was in a car with tinted, bullet proof windows that were nearly impossible to look through. Other than that, the view from inside the castle to see the city weren't that good, focusing on trees and the front garden, rather than anything interesting.

"One of my favorite things about being able to jump buildings," the stranger smiled and sat down next to him. "It's almost my favorite sight I've ever seen."

"Almost?" Matthew asked, turning to the man, who he realized with a jolt was actually very close to him. Why did this realization make the blood rush to his face, his heart pounding in his ears?

"Uh, yeah," the stranger smiled softly. Matthew couldn't help but notice the way the sun reflected off the stranger's hair, giving it this small glow. The way those eyes were so soft, despite the harsh color. The way their colorful surroundings painted the side of his face.

"What's your favorite?" Matthew asked and found himself leaning forward slightly.

"Guess," the stranger leaned forward, too. Matthew couldn't help but wonder what just happened. In just under an hour, this man was able to do something countless women across the world only dreamed of…Made Matthew fall for him. He was different than any person Matthew had ever met. He actually cared.

Matthew had just about closed his eyes, the stranger's eyes already half-lidded, when someone charged onto the room.

"Thought I saw a flash of white jumping around," a familiar woman's voice stated and Matthew pulled back, still trying to figure out what had just happened. When he turned to see who had talked, he found Elizaveta, Captain of the guard.

"Well, I guess the cow finally came to join the party," the stranger sighed, standing up. "What the hell do you want this time? I haven't stolen anything since this morning, when you weren't even around."

"Didn't steal anything, huh?" Elizaveta met eyes with Matthew. "Then what is he doing here?"

"Him?" the stranger looked to Matthew, who couldn't bring himself to say anything. They had already gone looking for him? And why was this stranger their prime suspect? "He ran away."

"That's a lie and you know it," Elizaveta sneered at him.

"Eliza…" Matthew muttered, going to stand up.

"What?" the stranger turned to him, but Matthew couldn't look at him.

"Come on, sweetie," Elizaveta smiled at him, stretching out her arm to him.

"Sweetie?" the stranger asked.

"Don't arrest him, I ran away," Matthew stated, walking towards her.

"Birdie?" the stranger muttered.

"According to Francis, he took you," Elizaveta argued and nodded at her guards to go after the stranger.

"No," Matthew tried to stop the guards, but Elizaveta held him back.

"For now, we listen to Francis' order," Elizaveta stated. "We have to at least take him into custody."

"What the hell did I do?!" the stranger yelled at them, struggling against the multiple guards holding him still.

"And why don't you listen to my order?" Matthew asked. "Let him go."

"We'll get it sorted out as soon as possible," Elizaveta sighed, but the look in her eyes said she was sorry. She was just following orders. And Matthew was going to kill Alfred for putting Francis in charge of this.

"Who are you?" the stranger asked, struggling against being brought to the stairs on the roof.

"My name isn't Birdie," Matthew muttered, not baring to look the stranger in the eyes. "My name is Matthew Williams, Prince of America-Canada."

"P-Prince?" the stranger's eyes widened in shock.

"Get going," Elizaveta hardened slightly, ordering the guards to take Gilbert down the stairs.

Matthew decided he was going to have a talk with Francis.

* * *

**Building hopping, man! I've always wanted to try it, but I don't have an awesome Prussian keeping me from plummeting to my death. So I can't. Anyway, this isn't a shocker to anyone that's watched Aladdin, except hopefully the city was cool. I think the idea of having this canopy thing over a city to cool it down and prevent sunburns is a great idea, so I'm going with it. And New York was once the capital of America, but then it changed to D.C. but I think New York is a sweet place, so it's staying there.**

**Anywho...please review! I will wuv you fowever!**


	4. Deal

Chapter 4. Deal.

"I am such an idiot!" Gilbert yelled out as soon as he knew he was alone in his stupid, un-awesome cell in the basement of the castle. He had been brought in through the front garden, but had no time to admire it as they took a route away from the front door…where Matthew went.

"Idiot!" Gilbert went and kicked at the solid door as hard as he could, ignoring the way his bare foot ached from it. His room was small, four solid metal doors with a pathetically small window at the very top. Enough to let air in, but not enough to see or do anything with. The door almost seemed to be a part of the wall and not even a handle was on his side. There was a pathetic bed on the corner without even a pillow or a blanket, but still better than anything Gilbert had slept on. In another corner was a small toilet Gilbert was sure he wasn't getting anywhere near.

"I'm such a gullible…un-awesome…stupid…" Gilbert slunk to his knees, onto the floor. Matthew had looked so…he couldn't think of any way to describe it. Adorable…beautiful…magnificent… He could even dare to say that he had fallen in love with him. The way the kid acted, the fact that he wasn't even scared of Gilbert or called him a freak even once. He was so close to kissing him…and he almost looked like he was going to kiss back.

"Who am I kidding?" Gilbert gritted his teeth and punched at the ground, probably very nearly breaking his hand. This was a Prince. He was probably just out and about, screwing with people. But that wasn't Matthew...

He did want to protect Gilbert, after all. He argued with the Captain of the guard for his sake, after all. So maybe Matthew did care about Gilbert, even just a little bit. But no matter what, the feelings Gilbert had gained over all this time would never be reciprocated. Prince Matthew had never shown any feeling towards anyone that had tried to win his heart. What made Gilbert any different?

A tweet from the window turned Gilbert's attention away from his self-pity. A little ball of yellow fluff flew its way down to Gilbert, into his outstretched hand.

"Hey, little dude," Gilbert smiled slightly at it. "Came to tell me goodbye? From what I hear, I won't last long, anyway."

Gilbird tweeted and flew up to nuzzle in Gilbert's hair.

"You liked Birdie, didn't you?" Gilbert asked the bird. The bird chirped loudly. "Yeah, I did, too… What do you think? Are servants waiting on his hand a foot? Is that brother of his being protective now that I've 'kidnapped' him?" The bird chirped. "You should probably go, you know. I'll die soon and then you'll have to find another owner who can feed you."

Gilbird simply nuzzled further into his hair.

"Idiot," Gilbert chuckled. "I taught you well."

"You want to get out of here, right?" a new voice stated and Gilbert immediately got to his feet.

"Who's there?" Gilbert demanded, looking around at the blank room.

"You can't see me, huh?" the voice laughed at him.

"Show yourself, coward," Gilbert spat.

"As you wish," the voice chuckled and, out of nowhere, someone appeared, lounging on top of the bed.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Gilbert yelled at him.

"Don't be worried," the man drawled. Gilbert looked him over, he wore some kind of trench coat, covering him from head to toe and a hat that let only small flashes of blonde hair flow out.

"Yeah, I'm never worried," Gilbert narrowed his eyes at the suspicious man.

"Good," the man nodded. "Because I need your help."

"With what?" Gilbert asked.

"Can't tell you the details yet," the man stated, standing up and walking over to Gilbert. The man was just slightly shorter than him and, even though he was close, Gilbert definitely could not see any part of his face. "But I can tell you what will await you at our destination."

"And how do you expect me to trust you?" Gilbert asked.

"It would be either this…or death," the man offered. Gilbert let out a sigh, weighing his options for himself. This man could easily be leading him to do something stupid and dangerous, where he could very easily die. Here, though…it seemed like the Prince cared about him enough to try to keep him from getting killed. But Gilbert knew full well that the evidence did seem very much against him.

"Tell me what waits for me, and then I'll decide," Gilbert stated, still trying to find any part of this man that he could see…Nothing…

"Magic," the man said happily, but smoothly. "Wishes…money beyond your wildest dreams…an adventure."

"What do you mean by wishes?" Gilbert asked.

"You can wish for anything," the man stated. "Even your little Prince."

Gilbert blinked. Now that caught him off guard. He wasn't sure how this man knew about him and the Prince, but if there was even a possibility Gilbert could see him again…he would take it.

"Fine."

* * *

(A little earlier)

"Francis!" Matthew yelled out upon entering the castle. He was a little surprised how loud it came out, considering how quiet he usually was, but he was definitely pissed off.

"Oui?" Francis chuckled, walking through the main hall and up to the door. He had long, blonde hair and dark blue eyes with slight stubble tracing his chin. He was supposed to be the royal advisor, mainly to Alfred at this point, since Matthew never took charge. Obviously, he was French.

"You ordered the arrest of someone in the city," Matthew stated. "Why?"

"Well, he kidnapped you, of course," Francis grinned, stopping in front of Matthew.

"I ran away," Matthew glared at him. "How would a kid from the city even find their way in here?"

"I guess you do make some sense," Francis muttered, tapping his chin. "But…je suis trés désolé."

"Why?" Matthew narrowed his eyes at the man.

"I am afraid his sentence has already been carried out," Francis sighed heavily.

"What did you do to him?" Matthew felt his eyes widen.

"He was already a wanted criminal," Francis shrugged. "He was executed."

"You…" Matthew nearly lost his legs under him, but managed to keep standing nonetheless. "He just got here. How could you pass judgment on him when he just got here?!"

"As I said, he was already a criminal," Francis sighed. "This crime sent him over the edge, obviously."

"He didn't do anything!" Matthew yelled. "He was making sure I stayed safe! He…He didn't even know I was the Prince!"

"I am terribly sorry," Francis sighed, moving forward to place a comforting hand on Matthew's shoulder. "It cannot be undone."

"Don't touch me," Matthew smacked his hand away. "Tu es un salaud. Don't talk to me again." With that, Matthew stormed down the hallway, right to his room. He passed his brother, who was slightly shocked with the way his brother acted, considering how Matthew acted on a normal basis.

"Wha-" Alfred muttered, looking between his brother and his advisor. "What did you…? Mattie!" Alfred started running after his brother in hopes to console him. He definitely heard him crying.

* * *

(Later)

"This is it?" Gilbert snorted, his arms crossed over his chest. After the two had somehow escaped the castle, Gilbert had been following the man away from the city. It wasn't exactly too far out, but it was a ways away. Their destination…a cave in the middle of nowhere.

"Yes," the man said happily. "It is very picky with who it allows in." To prove his point, he held out his hand and tried to push it through the opening of the cave, though all it did was stay flat. The man even leaned all of his weight against it. "Something tells me it would let you in, though."

"Why me?" Gilbert asked. "I'm nothing special."

"But you are," the man said happily, stepping close to him and using a hand to caress his chin, but Gilbert smacked the hand away. "You are a diamond in the rough."

"And what makes you think this?" Gilbert asked.

"The Prince liked you well enough," the man stated and Gilbert gritted his teeth. "Give it a try." He motioned to the opening of the cave.

Gilbert turned towards it and held out his hand, walking forward slightly. He easily made it past where the man had gotten without feeling anything stopping him.

"Good," the man stated. "You can go in there, fetch the bottle, and then bring it back to me."

"A bottle?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow, turning back to the man.

"Just get me the bottle and the rest can all be yours," the man offered.

"And those wishes you were talking about?" Gilbert asked.

"They come to anyone who makes it out of the cave," the man stated and Gilbert glanced back into the cave. From what he could see, it was just a simple, black cave with nothing in it but probably bats. Was there really all that treasure and even magic inside it?

"Well, it's either this or die," Gilbert shrugged and started forwards, into the cave.

"That's the spirit!" the man said cheerfully behind him. "I will be waiting here for your return!"

"Yeah, yeah," Gilbert waved his hand in his direction and was soon engulfed by the darkness of the cave. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going, but his eyes always adjusted quickly and soon he was able to see the vague outline of the cave. Gilbird let out a chirp on top of his head, signaling that he was, in fact, still there.

"Think the magic is real?" Gilbert asked his companion, his voice echoing slightly in the cave. He could faintly see something at the end of the cave, or the end of what he saw. It was a faint glow…almost yellow. Gilbird chirped and Gilbert honestly couldn't tell if that was a yes or no. "You're so helpful…"

He continued towards the glow, half expecting some traveler to be stuck in here and lighting a fire. Something shining on the floor caught his attention, though, when he was rather close to the glow. He stooped down to pick it up and found that it was a coin. The harder he looked at it in the vague light, the more it looked…gold?

Gilbert continued on his way, admiring the coin until he was completely immersed in the glow. He looked around finally, finding piles upon piles of gold colored treasure. Anything from coins to crowns to plates to…anything.

"Holy shit," Gilbert muttered and went over to one pile, picking up a pile of coins in his hand. Just a handful of this could make him richer than any king in the world. He could even be richer than all of them combined! Gilbert couldn't help but let out a laugh. This would get him out of the streets for sure… Probably wouldn't impress the Prince, though. He was used to people flaunting their wealth like they were the only people in the world; like no one else who needed money mattered.

Gilbert continued his way through the cave, following the path laid in-between the massive piles of gold. Even the floor and walls seemed to be solid gold. Gilbird happily started flying through the piles, seeming to be having the time of his life.

"This is insane," Gilbert muttered. It seemed like these piles would never end. Just as he rounded a corner, though, he found that it did end. There was this massive oak door at the end of the golden path, but it showed no light coming through it as Gilbert came close to it. He grabbed onto the knob and pushed it forward.

* * *

**Translations:  
****Je suis trés désolé- I am very sorry  
****Tu es un salaud- You're a bastard**

**I can actually use the French I'm learning in school now! And practice it over summer... Anywho, we finally got to see Francis...Jafar... Now, he's gonna be OOC, but that's for a reason that you will find out later. Next chapter is when I swerve a little away from the original plot to make everything flow better.**

**Also, death pentalty, since some of you may be a little confused at that. It's kind of like how the US has a death penalty, but hardly any other countries do. Since a bunch of stuff is changed around with this story, a lot of other countries do have the death penalty because "the crown commands it" or something like that. It's a little barbaric, but that's how the world goes round. Sorry if you don't like it, I think it's only mentioned here, so...yay?**

**Please review! It's totally awesome. Also, if my translations are wrong, please tell me so that I may fix it. I've been lazy with my other stories and editing those, but I think I'll actually edit this one. So please help me with that!**


	5. Princess

Chapter 5. Princess.

The door opened, revealing a cold room with no light but what was from the golden room. Inside the surprisingly large room, at the very end, was a podium with what looked like a bottle on it. Other than that, the room was completely empty.

"Is that…rum?" Gilbert couldn't help but let out a laugh as he got closer to the bottle. It was hilarious, almost. What could that man want with an empty bottle of rum? As Gilbert got closer to it, though, he felt something in the pit of his stomach. It felt almost dangerous, but also amazing. Not liking the feeling, Gilbert quickly grabbed onto the bottle and departed out of the room, back into the gold room.

"Let's go, Gilbird," Gilbert sighed, the bottle feeling really heavy in his hand. He quickly started his way back through, trying very hard to ignore the growing feeling he was getting. There was something odd about this bottle…but he would never know. He would get rid of this damn thing the second he could. Gilbird landed in his hair once again and Gilbert felt a few coins land, too. Might as well come out of here with some money…

It wasn't long before he made it back to the darkness of the cave, where he found that there was actually a gateway to. The second he stepped over to cross the gateway, he got a very bad feeling. Then the ground began to tremble underneath him, a few pebbles falling onto his head from the ceiling.

Gilbert knew it was a very bad idea to stay, so he started running, despite the darkness surrounding him. He ran into the wall a few times, but he only ran faster as the trembling slowly got worse.

"Did I forget to mention you weren't supposed to bring anything back?" the man laughed, and it was almost like his entire voice changed. His voice echoed through the cave as the trembling got so bad, Gilbert tripped. Just in sight of the exit. The man stepped forward as massive rocks started falling from the top of the cave. Gilbert had to roll to avoid them and barely made it onto his feet, running in the opposite direction of the exit.

"No!" the man yelled out, his happy façade falling.

Gilbert tried diving out the way, just as more massive boulders fell, creating massive crashes behind him. Then the trembling died down. Gilbert could hardly see anything, but his bird started cheeping, signaling it was still alive.

"Bastard!" Gilbert yelled behind him at the wall of boulders behind him. There was no way out now. That man had known Gilbert could have died doing this and didn't even tell him something that was obviously extremely important. And in the slight second Gilbert had seen the man, his eyes were only on that stupid bottle.

Gilbert held the damn thing in his hand and glared at it in the darkness.

"What the hell did he want with this thing anyway?" Gilbert muttered to himself, examining the bottle in the darkness. "It's a piece of junk. What a waste of risking my awesome life…" The more Gilbert's eyes adjusted to the dark, the more he could read on the label. It didn't look like any rum he had ever seen…

It read, in large letters, "3 Wishes." Gilbert looked more closely at it. There was some fine print on it, but there was a bit of dirt disabling him from seeing what it was. He rubbed at it, hoping to brush off the dirt, but that was obviously a bad decision.

"Shit!" A bright, green smoke suddenly appeared in the bottle and Gilbert dropped it, standing up to get as far away from it as possible. The smoke snaked its way outside of the bottle and made a large plume right next to it. It started morphing into something…Gilbert couldn't tell very well in the dark.

A sudden burst of light shone from the smoke and Gilbert had to put his arms over his eyes to shield them. He was backed up all the way to the boulders and the light died down slightly, but it was still there. Gilbert had to blink quite a few times to overcome the contrast from the dark cave just moments before.

When he finally looked around his arms, he came face-to-face with a man in the sudden light. He had shaggy blonde hair and forest green eyes underneath massive eyebrows. He was in fairly formal attire: slacks and a dress shirt. He stared in wonder at Gilbert, who was doing the exact same thing.

"What the bloody hell are you?" the man smirked slightly.

"Okay, one: the awesome me is not a what," Gilbert stated, "it's a who. Two: I should ask you the same question."

"You're the one with red eyes," the man stated.

"You just came out of a fucking bottle!" Gilbert argued.

"Bottle?" the man glanced down at the bottle and picked it up. "Right, my last master was a bit of a drunk."

"Master?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

"So, you don't know?" the man asked.

"All I know is that I nearly got killed getting an asshole a bottle of rum," Gilbert stated. "Then again, I'm starting to think that I shouldn't drink any rum that comes out of that."

"Here, its original form may help you out," the man sighed and the bottle suddenly changed into what looked like an Arabian lamp.

"So, you're from a Disney movie?" Gilbert asked. "As awesome as you seem to think that is-"

"What the bloody hell is Disney?" the man asked.

"What hole do you live in?" Gilbert laughed.

"This one?" the man stated.

"You don't get out much, do you?" Gilbert cackled.

"I'm a genie, you twat!" the man snapped.

"Yeah? You have fun with that," Gilbert continued on his laughing fit.

"As you have rubbed the 'lamp,' so to speak," the man sighed, "you are my new master. I'm only going to say the rules once, so you better listen up."

"Wait," Gilbert tried to calm down his laughter. "You're really a genie? Like three wishes and all that shit?"

"If you want proof, you just saw me come out of a bottle of rum," the man sighed and continued. "Anyway, you get three wishes, that's it, no wishing for more. I have three rules for wishes; I don't kill anyone, I don't bring anyone to life, and I can't make anyone fall in love with you. The lamp will change to fit whatever situation you are in so you can keep it hidden. Not a lot of people like the idea of you having a genie and they don't. You would also be in charge of giving me a name, if you don't want to just call me Genie."

"Name you?" Gilbert asked, still running the rules through his head. Couldn't make anyone fall in love, huh? Guess that ruled out Matthew…

"Most people do," the genie said with a wave of his hand and started looking around at the cave.

"How many 'masters' have you had?" Gilbert asked.

"Quite a lot," the genie stated. "I've been around for quite some time, as most genies are."

"There are more of you?" Gilbert smirked. "Do they all have a stick up their ass like you?"

"I do not have a stick up my arse," the genie rolled his eyes. "And, yes, humans aren't the only species populating the world."

"Well," Gilbert stated, running a hand through his hair. He had to think about how he was going to get the hell out of here. It definitely wasn't awesome being stuck in this cave. "You sound British, so I guess I'll give you a British name, or something. Something lame, considering how high up that stick is up your ass…Arthur sounds good to me."

"Don't work too hard on it now," Arthur sighed.

"So…let me get this straight," Gilbert started pacing around. This guy had been around for a while, so outsmarting him to get him out without wasting a wish would be a little difficult… "You can give me three wishes, right? But you've got limitations? How un-awesome is that? I thought genies were supposed to be these all-powerful creatures. At least from what I've heard."

"Nothing is all-powerful," Arthur scoffed, but Gilbert could see he was getting to him. That was his specialty, after all: pissing people off.

"I bet you couldn't even get me out of this cave!" Gilbert laughed, kicking at the nearby wall.

"Don't think you're going to out-smart me into getting you out of here without a wish," Arthur narrowed his eyes at him. But he was getting angry, so that was good. Get under someone's skin enough and you can get them to do anything you want them to.

"So…you're just smart? Not powerful?" Gilbert sighed. "Guess I got the short end of the stick. Got a genie with a brain."

"Excuse me?" Arthur glared at him. "You are the one in a powerless situation here. I can get out whenever I please."

"Prove it," Gilbert challenged. "I bet you can't even get yourself out of a cardboard box."

"Do you want to make me mad?" Arthur snapped.

"Guess you're not smart enough to get over your anger issues," Gilbert smirked. This was going better than he planned.

"Dammit!" Arthur yelled. "Just shut up!"

"Aw, did I piss you off?" Gilbert shrugged. "Sorry, didn't mean to make you feel even more useless. You can't even get us out of his cave."

"You know what? I can," Arthur snapped and a sudden wave hit Gilbert hard in the stomach and they were suddenly outside, under the night sky. Gilbert nearly toppled over, holding onto his stomach, but he let out a small laugh anyway. So magic was real…Gilbert chirped, nestling comfortably into Gilbert's hair again. He looked around and found that man was long gone. How long were they in there, anyway?

"Awesome," Gilbert smirked.

"I see what you did," Arthur sighed, shaking his head. "I can't believe I was so stupid."

"Just too emotional," Gilbert laughed. "Get over that and you'd be perfect. How much time has passed? When I came here, it wasn't nearly this late."

"Time passes differently in the cave," Arthur informed. "That conversation you and I had probably lasted an hour out here."

"Huh," Gilbert muttered and rubbed his hands together. It was rather cold and he was still dressed in his rags. At least he had blankets back in his hangout. "Damn, it's cold."

"You won't get any more free wishes from me," Arthur stated. "You'll have to actually wish for the next ones."

"Yeah, yeah," Gilbert said with a wave of his hand. Honestly, he had no idea what he was going to wish for. He couldn't get the Prince, no amount of gold could impress him and it's not like they could even be together if he got him to love him. Besides that, he had problems thinking about something to wish for. "What would you wish for?"

"Me?" Arthur's glare suddenly softened. "No one's asked me that before."

"You've thought about it, right?" Gilbert smirked. "I mean, you grant wishes for a living. Don't tell me you haven't thought about making a wish."

"Freedom," Arthur stated, smiling slightly at the word. "I would wish to be free."

"Freedom?" Gilbert asked.

"All I have ever done is come out of a lamp," Arthur looked down at the old lamp. "Come out, grant three wishes, then go back in. I'm this bloody 'all-powerful' being and I'm confined to just do that? Forever? It's not fair. But if I was in control of myself, my own destiny…that would be amazing."

"Alright, then, that'll be my last wish," Gilbert stated and Arthur dropped the lamp.

"What?"

"After I'm done with my first two wishes," Gilbert laughed and picked up the lamp, holding it by the handle, "I'll use my last one to set you free. That's just how awesome I am."

"Why would you do that for me?"

"I've been there," Gilbert shrugged. "Not that situation, exactly, but your mindset. I've felt trapped my whole life, all alone with no one who's cared enough to remember me after I've passed them. You deserve better. You are this awesome 'all-powerful' being, after all."

"A-Alright, then," Arthur smiled. "Deal."

"Alright, well now I've decided my last wish, which is nice and all, but I need to focus on now," Gilbert sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Surely you have some kind of wish," Arthur stated.

"Well…" Gilbert sighed. "There's this boy…"

"I know that look," Arthur sighed. "You heard what I said. I can't make anyone fall in love with anyone else."

"Yeah, I know," Gilbert sighed and started pacing. "There's no way we'd even be together in the first place. He's a freaking Prince, for crying out loud! There's no way it could even work out. Being gay isn't exactly liked in this world."

"And yet it seems like you can't stop thinking about this lad," Arthur stated.

"I can't help it!" Gilbert sighed. All he could think about was that Prince…the way he wormed into his heart. There would never be a way for them to even try to be together. Unless… "Wait a second."

"What, did you think of something?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

Gilbert nodded, but started thinking it through ha little more. It was horribly stupid, but it just might work. He could see Matthew again, and this time they could actually be together. That is, if Gilbert could win him over.

"Arthur…I wish for you to make me a princess."

* * *

**Alrighty. So, no Mattie in this chapter, sorry, but there was no place for him, really. Anywho, Arthur is our Genie and I made a few new rules for him that makes things flow better. We all know his name is Arthur, and I would be pissed at myself for just calling him "Genie" so I just decided that people can name him if they please. And I like the idea of the lamp being able to change to stay hidden. I mean, Gil's gonna be a princess, there's not many places for him to hide that lamp.**

**Also, this is where a lot of the humor comes in. Obviously, I'm not against gays, but the world is stupid and so for now it's like this. Don't worry, it ends with them both being male. It also gets a little sexist, but that's because it's Gilbert. He speaks his mind as much as he wants and being a girl sucks. I would know, I am one. It's all in the sake of humor, so don't go after me if you're offended. (For some reason, I'm scared of that happening, I haven't a clue why...)**

**That's enough rambling for now, so please review!**

**(Edit! Gil was a teensy bit OOC, so I fixed him!)**


	6. Consequences

Chapter 6. Consequences.

"Mattie! Please open your door!" Alfred whined from the other side of Matthew's locked door. He knew his brother would follow him and try to talk to him, but Matthew was definitely not in the mood for talking right now. It was enough that his crying didn't come through his voice every time he told his brother to go away. "If I haven't left in the past two hours, it means I'm not gonna leave now!"

"I don't want to talk to anyone right now," Matthew muttered. Currently, he was holding his bear close to him, curling up into as tight of a ball as he could, on his bed. That stranger was dead and Matthew didn't even know his name...

"Come on, Mattie," Alfred sighed. "You don't have to talk. What kind of brother am I if I can't even hug you when you're crying?"

"One that minds his own business," Matthew stated.

"I was really worried about you when you left," Alfred stated, giving up pounding on the door, finally. "I…I thought you would get hurt or something. When Francis said he knew what happened to you…I would do anything to get you back. Even if it meant going all the way across the world."

"Even sending an innocent man to his death?" Matthew asked.

"I never cleared that," Alfred muttered. "Look, I'm really sorry. I don't know who that man was, but you cared a lot about him."

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Matthew muttered.

"You caring about him means I care about him," Alfred stated. "Dude, we can…give him a burial or something. Or…we could have…" He let out a nervous chuckle.

"What do you mean?" Matthew asked.

"Well, you would know if you actually let me in two hours ago," Alfred sighed. "He's missing."

"What do you mean missing?" Matthew asked, leaning towards his door slightly. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"He's gone," Alfred stated. "People went to get him, obey Francis's order. But he's gone. And you said you didn't want to talk to me."

"How?" Matthew whispered to himself. Those cells were made so that nothing could get out, save for a few bugs or animals. There was no way that stranger could get out on his own…

"Will you let me in now?" Alfred sighed.

Matthew sighed and slowly got up, setting Kumachinchin down on his bed. The second he opened the door, his brother pulled him into a hug and Matthew just stood there.

"Where could he have gone?" Matthew muttered.

"Huh?" Alfred pulled back slightly and looked down at him.

"Where could he have gone?" Matthew repeated himself, louder this time.

"I have no idea," Alfred shook his head. "Do you…think it's a good idea to go after him?"

"No," Matthew shook his head. "He hasn't done anything wrong."

"Except escape from the custody of the crown," Alfred stated.

"There was no reason for him to even be there," Matthew pushed his way out of Alfred's grip.

"And I said I was sorry," Alfred sighed. "I don't even remember when I gave Francis the ability to do that. He doesn't have it anymore, obviously."

"Good, you shouldn't let him do anything," Matthew stated.

"Hey, he was loyal to our parents even before we came along," Alfred sighed. "I'm sure he wants to apologize."

"Then let him want," Matthew stated and moved to sit onto his bed. "He told me he was already dead when I walked in. Why would he do that?"

"I don't know," Alfred sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "If you don't mind me asking…why are you reacting so much to all of this? I mean, you ran away last night. You couldn't have gotten that close with him in that little time."

"Well, I did, okay?" Matthew sighed.

"Did you…like him in a certain way?" Alfred asked, leaning against the wall.

"What do you mean?" Matthew asked, but he couldn't avoid the blush creeping onto his face.

"You did," Alfred started smiling. "That explains a lot, you know."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Matthew asked.

"Dude, the world's most beautiful women have walked into this city to impress you," Alfred laughed. "You haven't even batted an eye at a single one of them. Then this guy from the streets comes along and you fall in love."

"I'm not in love," Matthew snapped, his blush getting worse and worse as Alfred continued talking and he kept thinking about that stranger.

"Oh, yeah you are," Alfred laughed and went to hug his brother. "You are totally and completely in love~!"

"Get off me!" Matthew tried to shove him away, but Alfred just kept trying to give him a hug.

"I don't know why I didn't think of it before," Alfred laughed as Matthew finally gave up and let Alfred hug him.

"If you're implying that I'm gay," Matthew sighed, "I'm not entirely sure if you're right or not."

"Dude, I'm not implying it," Alfred laughed. "I'm saying it. Ow!" Alfred pulled back, cradling his hand. Matthew smirked, looking back at his polar bear, who was simply licking his paw.

"Thanks, Kuma," Matthew nodded to him before turning back to his brother. "I said I wasn't sure. Is that alright with you?"

"Just make sure he stops biting me," Alfred whined. "I'll start to run out of blood eventually."

"Once that happens, he'll stop biting," Matthew smirked.

"One of these days, I'm gonna have my own pet," Alfred sighed, leaning against the wall again. "Maybe an eagle or something. Then I'm gonna get payback."

"You have fun with that," Matthew chuckled.

"Anyway, since you're 'not sure'," Alfred sighed. "There's another wave of girls coming tomorrow, so try to pull yourself together."

"Yeah, yeah," Matthew sighed, falling back onto his bed and staring at the ceiling.

"Try to be nice to these ones," Alfred stated and left, closing the door behind him.

"I didn't even know his name," Matthew muttered, moving his hand to stroke Kumamuffin.

* * *

Arthur stared at Gilbert for a short while before bursting out laughing. Gilbert just rolled his eyes as he waited for him to stop.

"You done?" Gilbert asked after a while.

"A bloody princess," Arthur slowly calmed himself down. "I have not heard of that kind of wish before."

"Yeah, well, you have now," Gilbert stated.

"You were serious?" Arthur started laughing again.

"Yes," Gilbert stated. "Now stop laughing at me."

"You don't want to be a princess," Arthur finally composed himself.

"Then tell me another way I could even see the Prince again," Gilbert stated. "Technically, I just ran away from the royal family, who had me arrested. Going back into that city like this is a death wish."

"I doubt the lad is that important," Arthur sighed.

"And I am absolutely positive he is," Gilbert said

"You would really change your gender for this boy?" Arthur asked. "Why?"

"I just…" Gilbert ran a hand through his hair. "He's just awesome. I only met him today, but…He's different than anyone else I've met. He's the only one that didn't run away at the sight of me, the only one that hasn't called me a freak. He knows how I feel; we're both alone. Besides, I know he at least cares a little bit. He tried to get them not to arrest me, after all."

"And you think becoming a princess will win his heart?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Don't raise your gigantic eyebrows at me," Gilbert glared at him. "You don't even know what the world is like now, I bet."

"You're right," Arthur stated. "I do not know anything that's gone on in this world since…I don't even know. My last couple masters simply used their wishes quickly and disposed of me. It's a miracle I actually made it back here where only the right people can find me. But I do not think this is the right course of action for you to take."

"I'm one of those 'right people', right?" Gilbert asked. "Diamond in the rough or some shit like that? Don't you think I can be trusted to make my own decisions?"

"Let me tell you something," Arthur sighed. "Anyone can use the lamp. Anyone can pick it up and rub it and get their three wishes. I would know, I've had quite a lot of those kinds of people use me. My proper place is in that cave, where no one but those who should use the lamp can get to me. The kinds of people allowed to come into that cave do great things. Some make themselves kings, some change entire civilizations. All of them do something great. I have no clue what you are going to do, but I highly doubt it involves turning yourself into a princess."

"If I am supposed to do something great, then you need to trust me," Gilbert stated. "I'm awesome, remember? There's just something about that kid…I have to see him again. I know there's gonna be another wave of royalty coming in to try to impress him and I have to be one of those."

"You might not even see him," Arthur pressed.

"I think I will," Gilbert argued.

"I don't want you to waste an opportunity like this," Arthur sighed.

"What do you lose?" Gilbert asked. "If it doesn't work, I use my second wish to get myself back to normal and then you're gone."

"How could you be so selfish?" Arthur scoffed. "You can do so many things for this world. You could wish for bloody world peace!"

"I've never thought world peace was a good idea," Gilbert sighed. "Look at us right now, we're arguing. It's how the world goes round. Right now, I need you to trust me to do the right thing."

"I've just met you," Arthur sighed. "I can't trust you."

"When I met Matthew, one of the first things I asked him was if he trusted me," Gilbert pressed. "He said yes. And I still trust him. I didn't want to use this, but you're making me. I am your master and you are the genie. Grant my wish."

"What do you hope to achieve from this?" Arthur asked.

"All I want is to see Matthew again," Gilbert stated. "That's all I care about."

"Fine, then," Arthur sighed and the lamp disappeared from Gilbert's grip. He suddenly felt a small chain around his neck and looked down to find a necklace with a charm that looked exactly like the lamp with two red beads on either side of it. "Like I said, the lamp will change its appearance to suit what is going on around you. This should keep it fairly hidden."

"Alright," Gilbert nodded.

"Make it an official wish," Arthur stated. "Repeat what you said earlier."

"I wish…for you to make me a princess."

* * *

**This chapter kind of feels like I'm stalling. I dunno, I was just trying to do a brotherly moment and prove Alfred doesn't completely suck. And, of course, Arthur wouldn't just _let_ Gilbert turn into a pretty, pretty princess, so they had to do an argument. Luckily, most of my editing was done last night, because my editing now is a little half-assed. I just got my wisdom teeth out and I thought I wouldn't be able to update today. But I'm handling the drugs better than I thought, so I decided to just go ahead and do this while I still could.**

**Also, my friend noticed that Gil was a tad OOC in the last chapter, so I've gone and fixed that, so the ending was changed. Or...the majority. From the rock wall falling to the end is what I fixed. So check that out if you wanna.**

**And please review!**


	7. First Impressions

Chapter 7. First Impressions.

Being a girl sucked. Gilbert had no idea how they did it. There's the stupid hair that blows everywhere and gets tangled for no reason at all. There's the pounds of makeup Gilbert could still feel on his face for this stupid parade. There's the stupid dress that gave him no room to move at all. There's the boobs that Gilbert really wasn't in the mood to complain about now. There's the shoes that had Gilbert nearly tripping over himself, if the wish weren't working properly.

And on top of it all, he had to ride on this stupid black horse side-saddle. Whoever invented that technique was an idiot. Gilbert felt like he was about to fall out, so he was practically holding onto the reins and saddle for dear life.

The parade in itself was pretty stupid. There was this group of girls waiting just inside the city after the border of the canopy and they were given a horse to prance around on for a while and show off to everyone in the city. Gilbert was about ready to fall asleep if he wasn't scared he would fall off the stupid horse. And if that wasn't enough, Gilbird had even flown off just when they entered the city, leaving him alone.

And then there was this other thing. If he were to walk around these streets like he normally would, he would be labeled a freak and people would get away from him as quickly as possible. As a girl, he was considered this foreign beauty. The white hair coupled with the red eyes was "majestic" and "beautiful." It was complete bullshit. The sad part was, though, he fit in with these girls, despite being out of the ordinary with his looks.

His now extremely long white hair was silky and flowed perfectly even with a stupid tiara stuck in it. His makeup was applied to accent how pale he was as well as make his red eyes pop. His dress was red and probably made him look adorable, but at this point he didn't care. It was strapless, which led him to think it was constantly falling, but it wasn't, and stopped just above his knees when he stood. There was even this weird frill thing at the bottom. His black heels had these weird strap things that went up, just past his heel and he was pretty sure he was about ready to die.

Arthur had told him that a part of his wish to be a princess ensured that everything involving being a princess would come naturally to him. Walking in heels, riding side-saddle, doing that horrible wave…

Just now, without even trying, he was doing that wave to a few merchants he was sure called him a freak multiple times in the past. Women he knew screamed at sight of him were jealously gossiping on the side.

Eventually, after about an hour, they finally came up to the castle and the horses all stopped in a line. Several servants were already out there and helped each of them down. Gilbert had his problems with letting a servant do all that, but he had to and accepted the help getting him down.

"Thank you," Gilbert nodded to the man, which he noticed none of the other women did. The servant nervously nodded and headed off with the others and Gilbert let out a quiet sigh. He finally got a good view at the garden in the front of the castle, surrounded by these massive walls. It was masterfully created, obviously, with flowerbeds arranged with any kind of flower, even some Gilbert was sure didn't exist in America-Canada. The trees and hedges were trimmed to perfection into some sort of sculpture and there was marble pathways leading all the way through it, even up to the castle itself, which was even more impressive up close.

Gilbert fought back any comment he had and joined the line of girls entering the castle. They were all managing to keep quiet, though Gilbert could tell they were admiring everything around them. He was somewhere in the middle of the line and they continued into the castle. The room they walked into seemed to be some sort of grand hall and, at the far end, were two thrones.

Gilbert immediately saw Matthew, dressed up like the Prince he should be, but he seemed lost in his own world. He didn't even glance at the girls as they eventually made a line in front of the two Princes. The other one looked remarkably similar to Matthew, just a lot more…obnoxious? Cocky?

Finally, Matthew looked up, glancing at the girls as if to humor them. He stopped, though, when he saw Gilbert. He stared at him for a while before turning to his brother. He stood up slightly, stopping his brother from standing up, probably to address them. They spoke in hushed voices, obviously for them not to hear them. Eventually, the other Prince looked at Gilbert, too. The girls around him started looking over at him and all Gilbert could do was smile and shrug. Step one was done; get his attention.

The other Prince cleared his throat. "Alright, hey, ladies." Definitely cocky. "Most of you know the drill. First, you'll go through our Captain of the Guard, Elizaveta." _Shit._ Gilbert would be in deep trouble if that damn cow figured him out… "Then, you'll go through myself and my advisor, Francis." A man next to him with long, blonde hair, and dark blue eyes with stubble tracing his chin nodded at the group. He was obviously very flirtatious, what with how he was eyeing all of the girls. "Finally, once you get through that, you'll get to see Mattie and we'll see if he likes you enough."

Gilbert noticed that, during the entire speech, Matthew was looking curiously at him. All Gilbert could think to do was nod back at him politely.

"Elizaveta's off doing patrols, so you can go to your rooms for now," the other Prince continued. "You'll be rounded up again once she gets back." He nodded to them happily and sat back down as Gilbert and the girls were shown down a hall by some servants. There were several rooms along this hall and slowly the girls went through to their random rooms. They were all talking to each other, making bets, being obnoxious.

"I guarantee that I'll make it to see him," one girl said.

"How many girls just like you have tried?"

"Oh, please. Prince…what's-his-face won't be able to resist me."

"I'm pretty sure his name is Matthew," Gilbert stated and gave them his best smile before turning into some room and shutting the door. The room had a simple layout, but it was far grander than anything Gilbert had seen in the city. There was a massive bed on the right side of the room with a canopy that almost completely covered the blue comforter. There was a large dresser next to the door that looked like it could hold enough clothes for a year. On the other side of the room was two doors, one that opened to a bathroom and the other Gilbert assumed was a closet, and some sort of a desk with a mirror on it. Everything seemed to be made with the finest wood and cloth, with no mind paid to the expenses, probably.

"So you've made it this far," Arthur's voice sighed and the green smoke soon came out of the necklace charm and turned into Arthur.

"Hell yeah," Gilbert smirked and swiftly made his way to the dresser. He hoped there would be some clothes he wouldn't care wearing.

"You look rather cute," Arthur teased.

"Shut up," Gilbert glared at him for a while and pulled out a drawer. Surprisingly, the dresser was actually fully stocked. He figured all of the women that came through were probably the same perfect size. He was surprised how small his waist actually was. Did these girls ever eat in the first place? He found things like actual pants, which he thought female royalty had never even heard of. "I'm awesome, not cute."

"What are you doing?" Arthur asked.

"I am going to put on some shorts and a T-shirt," Gilbert stated, rummaging some more through the dresser. "Then I'm going to pull this stupid hair back and try to relax."

"You're the one that wanted to be a girl," Arthur sighed.

"Needed to," Gilbert corrected him and finally pulled out what looked like a pair of jean shorts. "Fuck it, I'm wearing these."

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Arthur asked.

"Have you ever been in a dress?" Gilbert asked. "It fucking sucks. And these heels are going to make me fall over eventually."

"They won't," Arthur sighed. "You have all the skill of a princess, relax."

"There is no way I am staying in this dress," Gilbert stated and started towards the door that led to the closet. It was a huge walk-in and he gaped at it for a short while before closing the door behind him and looking through all of the shirts and dresses for a short while before picking out something that looked at least slightly comfortable. He quickly changed out of the dress, having some slight trouble with the stupid zipper, and into the shorts and shirt. When he came out, he went over to the desk and ignored the reflection in the mirror and rummaged through the drawers. Just as he expected, it was one of those mirror things with all the make-up in it.

"What do you expect to do once you're called to meet with that Captain of the Guard?" Arthur asked.

"I'll get back in the damn dress," Gilbert muttered and finally found what he had seen girls use to tie up their hair. "For now, I'm just gonna make myself feel like as much of a guy as possible."

"I highly doubt that is possible," Arthur chuckled.

"Don't make fun of me," Gilbert sighed and started trying to copy what he'd seen girls do to put their hair up. "I'm awesome, end of the line." It took him 5 tries, but he eventually managed to put his hair up into some sort of sad excuse of a ponytail.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Arthur asked.

"Doing what?" Gilbert asked, standing up.

"You keep saying that you're awesome," Arthur chuckled. "Are you compensating for something?"

"Compensating for what?" Gilbert laughed. "I am awesome."

"You are becoming rather comfortable with being a girl," Arthur smirked. "Perhaps it's not too much of a change for you."

"You hating on my awesome five meters now?" Gilbert laughed.

"Five meters?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Hell, yeah," Gilbert nodded happily.

"I'm sure I would have noticed five meters," Arthur sighed.

"Some people are just blind," Gilbert shrugged. "It's fine; no one can be as awesome as me and see my entirety of my awesomeness."

"Now I know you're compensating for something," Arthur chuckled and disappeared into smoke, into the necklace.

* * *

"So, what's with the bird, dude?" Alfred asked, sitting across from Matthew. It was lunchtime and the two brothers were in a special side dining hall they usually went to rather than the main one, where all those royal women were eating. A little earlier, this yellow bird that Matthew remembered that stranger owned had flew up to him. It had stayed around and even got along with Kumachili. Right now, Matthew was admiring it as it perched on his finger, ignoring the food placed in front of him.

"He's the pet of that stranger," Matthew smiled at it and it chirped, flying up to nestle in his hair. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Do you think he's around?" Alfred asked. "Watching you?"

"I don't know," Matthew muttered, choosing to ignore his brother's mocking tone. "Do you know who that girl was?"

"The albino?" Alfred shrugged. "Nah. I don't know where half these girls come from. I'm pretty sure half of them are pretending to be royalty."

"Yeah…" Matthew sighed and turned to his food, finally starting to eat it.

"Dude, if you want, I can make sure that albino makes it to you, if you're oh, so interested," Alfred stated.

"Don't do that," Matthew shook his head. "Only let her through if she's possibly worth my time."

"Key word: possibly," Alfred stated. "At this rate, I don't think you'll get yourself a Queen."

"Then we can finally stop trying," Matthew sighed. "It's just getting annoying at this point."

"Your pessimist attitude is getting annoying," Alfred pointed out. "When was the last time you actually came into this thing with an open mind?"

"The first wave," Matthew sighed.

"Like was, like, a freaking year ago!" Alfred groaned. "Come on, dude, just this once. There's only gonna be about four girls that will make it to you, if we're following our trend. Give them all a fair shot."

"If I do, will you quit harassing me about it?" Matthew asked.

"Probably," Alfred shrugged.

"Fine, then," Matthew sighed. "This one time, I'll try."

"Good!" Alfred chimed. "Do you know that the bird is making a nest out of your hair?"

"It's kind of nice," Matthew laughed.

"What, does it relieve stress or something?" Alfred laughed. "Maybe I should get my own, personal nesting bird."

"You're gonna have to get your own," Matthew chuckled. "I think this one likes me enough."

"I'll just steal it while you're asleep," Alfred smiled.

* * *

**I love brotherly moments, for some reason. Oh, whatever, Gil's finally a girl. When the narrative is in his perspective, he's going to be described as male with pronouns, because he obviously thinks of himself as a guy. In Matthew's perspective, he's going to be described as a girl. I'm trying as hard as I can to make sure he's still really guy-like and I've written fairly far ahead, so I hope I've been doing him/her justice!**

**As always, please review! It is very much appreciated!**


	8. Flying Colors

Chapter 8. Flying Colors.

It wasn't long before Elizaveta came back and the girls had to come back out. Gilbert quickly changed back into his dress and joined the girls outside, who were all gossiping around. Apparently, they were to go back into the main hall and go into that line again.

"You really think you can impress the lady looking like that?" one girl came up to another. "I mean, you're makeup is horrid and that dress doesn't flatter you at all!"

"And how do you expect to wow her in those shoes?" the other girl snapped.

"Cat fight," Gilbert snickered to himself, but he was apparently louder than he thought.

"Excuse me?" the first girl scoffed. "What exactly even are you, anyway? Your eyes look like blood."

"And what kind of dress is that to impress the Prince?" the second one asked.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Gilbert smirked. "I couldn't hear you over my awesomeness."

"Cocky much?" the first girl muttered under her breath and they appeared in the main hall. The thrones were empty and Elizaveta stood in front of them, watching as the girls filed in. Gilbert gulped, standing slightly to the right of the woman.

"Hello, girls!" Elizaveta chimed happily, clapping her hands together. Gilbert fought not to drop his jaw. This was the cow that fought him every day and acted like a bitch? "This is the first phase of weeding out all of the ones who wouldn't get along with our Prince Matthew. Don't even bother with first impressions with me, I'm not looking for that."

Gilbert slightly bit his lip as Elizaveta went over to her left and started looking at the girls. It appeared that she was just judging them for looks, either shaking her head or nodded when she saw what she did and didn't like. But as Gilbert looked at her closer, over the crying girls, he could see that she was doing something else. She was looking them up and down and looked right into their eyes, probably to figure out if they were confident and true with this sort of thing.

The two girls that were arguing before both got shakes of the head and departed to the front door crying before Elizaveta came in front of Gilbert. He stared right into her eyes, completely calm but with a determined look in his eyes.

"I like you!" Elizaveta chimed and patted Gilbert's shoulder. He blinked. He was definitely never expecting to hear those words come out of Elizaveta's mouth. Especially directed at him. He simply nodded and followed the other girls that were given nods back to the rooms.

"That was short," Arthur snorted as Gilbert came back into the room.

"The cow actually likes me?" Gilbert couldn't help but start laughing. "Oh, Gott, that's great!"

"Now you just need to make it through the brother and the advisor," Arthur stated.

"If it's anything like this one, it'll be a breeze!" Gilbert smirked. "They're looking for someone who sincerely wants to give Matthew a try. And obviously I do."

"What do you plan to do when you see Matthew?" Arthur sighed.

"I'm just gonna talk to him," Gilbert shrugged. "I mean, he at least seemed to like my awesome charm on the streets. And, every girl that has gone through here is the same, he's probably looking for something different."

"So you intend to act like…?" Arthur asked.

"Myself," Gilbert smiled. "Just gotta be mein awesome self and nothing can ever go wrong!"

"You mean the guy you?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"What have I been telling you about that damn eyebrow?" Gilbert groaned. "Just relax. I got this. Now, I'm gonna change into something else because this dress is just fucking horrible."

"At least try to look like a princess," Arthur sighed as Gilbert rummaged through the dresser for something like pants or a skirt or something.

"Yeah, yeah," Gilbert waved his hand at him. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Gilbert twirled around towards it.

"Good luck," Arthur stated and green smoke went into the necklace.

"Come in," Gilbert called to the door, composing himself the best he could. It was one of the servants.

"Prince Alfred and his advisor will see you now," the servant fumbled with his hands, staring at the ground.

"Right, okay," Gilbert smiled at him, helping him look up. "You don't have to look down, you know."

"I'm terribly sorry, miss," the servant mumbled and Gilbert rolled his eyes, but followed him as he moved expertly through the castle. Eventually, he stopped at a door and bowed at Gilbert before opening the door for him.

"Thank you," Gilbert nodded at him. Servants was definitely something he wouldn't be able to get used to. He entered the room and found it actually rather small in comparison to the largeness of the rest of the castle. There was a red couch and two red arm chairs that were separated by a wonderful looking wooden and glass table. There were windows and lights scattered everywhere, giving the place a nice air. In the two arm chairs was the other Prince (Alfred, apparently) and the advisor, who immediately stood up and went to give Gilbert a greeting.

"I do not think we have had the pleasure of meeting before," the advisor stated and kissed the back of Gilbert's hand. Gilbert fought off the urge to hit him and starting thinking about that voice. He had definitely heard it somewhere before. The man looked him over fairly well as well, putting Gilbert on edge. "Je m'appelle Francis Bonnefroy. Et tu?"

"Um," Gilbert muttered and tried to think, putting it off as being flustered. He didn't understand French worth shit, but the man said his name, which meant he introduced himself, then he asked a question. Maybe he was asking Gilbert his own name. "Maria…Belschmidt," Gilbert came up with the first last name that came to his mind, and he nearly immediately regretted it. That was a famous family and they had no freaking daughters!

"Belschmidt?" Prince Alfred asked and stood up himself, looking over at the two. "I had no idea they had a daughter."

"Yes, well," Gilbert muttered as Francis led him to the couch. This was turning into a train wreck fast, he hoped he would be able to save himself soon.

"It explains why you look so much like the lost Prince," Alfred stated as Gilbert sat down and Francis quickly went to his own armchair. That was just the break Gilbert needed.

"Well, you know why they probably wouldn't talk about me much," Gilbert muttered, looking down at his hands as if he was sad. He had a lost "brother," apparently, so he would have to pretend to be upset.

"So, why did you come out here?" Alfred asked. "In the same city your brother was lost in?"

"Prince Matthew, of course," Gilbert gave them a soft smile. God, he hated having to act like a girl, but he would have to just suck it up for now. "I just…really would like to meet him."

"Just meet him?" Alfred asked curiously, but he was smiling, which meant Gilbert said the right thing. Good.

"Well, I think it's rather rude to just assume he'll fall in love with me," Gilbert awkwardly tucked a piece of his hair that ran away behind his ear. "As much as I like what I've heard about him, I don't think I can even say the word 'love' until we properly meet."

"Really?" Alfred leaned forward, his smile growing on his face. "What have you heard about my brother that makes you like him so much?"

"He sounds really nice," Gilbert smiled softly, actually going into his own reverie. "I've heard about him being this quiet and shy boy, but I've also heard stories of him coming out of his shell. And he's rather cute and-"

"Well, I pretty much have the same face," Alfred stated. "Am I cute?"

"You two are different," Gilbert stated. "I mean no offense, but Prince Matthew is more reserved and quieter, but it's almost like he has this hidden mystery to him that I don't think anyone's seen before."

"Well, you know what?" Alfred leaned back in his chair. "I like you." That was the second time someone had said that to Gilbert today. It was such a great change from his life on the streets…

"You do?" Gilbert couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Well, for one thing, you're the first person to get his name right," Alfred smiled. "And most of the other girls just talk about him being a Prince and how they're sure he'll like them. You want to give the romance a fair chance."

"Of course," Gilbert nodded. "He is a person, after all. I don't think anyone can have claim over anyone else."

"Interesting you say that," Francis muttered and Gilbert blinked at him. What was he implying?

"Well, I like you a lot," Alfred stated and turned to his advisor, who he didn't seem to hear just a second ago. "What do you think?"

"I say we let her through and see what happens," Francis smiled.

"Thank you very much," Gilbert nodded to them and stood up.

"We'll get someone to bring you to Mattie's room once we see any other girls we think would be good, too," Alfred smiled.

"Right," Gilbert nodded and started towards the door, where a servant was already waiting. What was with that Francis?

* * *

Matthew sighed, face-planting onto his bed. Alfred undershot the girls that would be able to get through. There were six this time, far more than any other time. And Matthew was just done…One left and he really didn't even want to try anymore. He held up his promise with Alfred and actually did tried…with about the first three. In the end, they were all still the same. All still scripted and exactly the same, like robots.

The bird tweeted happily and nuzzled into the back of Matthew's hair.

"What am I gonna do?" Matthew grumbled into his bed, hardly even able to understand himself. "I have to marry someone eventually." The bird tweeted and then flew off Matthew's head and started flying in front of the door, tweeting happily.

"You want to meet the next one?" Matthew sighed, looking up at it. Another tweet. "Alright, fine, fine." Matthew sat up and brushed himself off, straightening himself out. He looked down at Kumajino to make sure he wouldn't scare this poor girl like the last three. Finally, there was a knock at the door from the servant, probably, and Matthew let out a sigh before plastering that stupid smile onto his face that he gave all of the other girls. "Come in."

The smile nearly fell when he saw who came in; it was the albino girl. Immediately the bird looked like it attacked her face and Matthew took a step forward to stop it, but the girl actually let out a laugh. Eventually, the bird nestled happily into her hair.

"I-I'm sorry about that," Matthew apologized.

"It's no problem," the girl laughed. "He seems to like me well enough."

"Yeah," Matthew nodded and then turned his attention back to the matter at hand. "Look, I-I'm really sorry, but this has been a long day for me and I've talked to a lot of other girls."

"That's alright, I understand," the girl smiled, but it wasn't the fake smile all the other girls have had. Kumaginue crawled over to the girl's feet and she smiled down at it. "How many pets do you have?" She knelt down to pet it.

"I wouldn't-" Matthew tried to warn her about Kumtutu's tendency to bite, but the bear did nothing. He simply let himself be pet. "He likes you, too?"

"Does it surprise you?" the girl looked up at him.

"He just normally doesn't like people," Matthew knelt down next to them, and he couldn't help but notice that his smile was turning into a real one.

"Well, this little guy's awesome," the girl smiled. "Maybe he just doesn't like people that see a polar bear and freak out… I heard some of the other girls talking about him. He's not as bad as they said. He hasn't even tried to eat my dress yet."

"No, I don't think he has," Matthew smiled. "I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name."

"Maria," the girl stated. "Maria Belschmidt."

"Belschmidt?" Matthew blinked. So that was why she looked so much like the lost Prince…

"Ja, I've been asked a lot of questions about it," Maria smiled softly, but she had this slightly depressed look about her.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to," Matthew nodded at her.

"Well, thank you," Maria nodded.

"Here, let me help you up," Matthew stood up and held out a hand for the girl to take, which she did and Matthew helped her stand up.

"Thank you," Maria smiled. "What was that you were saying earlier about being tired?"

"Right," Matthew nodded. This was the first girl that wasn't fake around him. He didn't just want to turn her away… "I was saying that I'm tired…so how about we try this again tomorrow? When I'm more awake?"

"That sounds awesome," Maria nodded. Matthew couldn't help but notice a little similarities with the boy he met in the city. The similarities in looks, the fact that they both easily caught Matthew's attention, how they both used the word "awesome," and how that bird seemed perfectly at home with both of them.

"I think the bird likes you quite a bit more than myself," Matthew noted. "If you want, you could keep it."

"I couldn't just take your pet from you," Maria shook her head.

"It wasn't even mine to begin with," Matthew smiled. "I will see you tomorrow, I'm sure someone will be around to tell you when we can meet next."

"Perfect," Maria smiled and started towards the door.

"See you tomorrow," Matthew smiled, too.

"I think you already said that," Maria laughed and gave him a wave before leaving out the door. It closed behind her and Matthew looked down at Kumajiono.

"So you really like her?" Matthew asked his bear, picking him up and bringing him to his bed. The bear nodded and Matthew sighed, lying on his back on his bed. "I think I do, too…"

The only thing that confused him, though, were those similarities… He would have to figure this out tomorrow.

Unaware to him, "Maria" went back to "her" room cheering happily.

* * *

**Okay, so I'm going to point something out really quick here. Gilbert ("Maria") is going to slowly start speaking some German. It gets a little worse as time passes. I'm sure you guys have noticed the whole "lost German Prince" thing and now it's been proven that "Maria" looks like him. I'm trying to be obvious here; Gilbert's the missing Prince. So, being around a setting he'd pretty much grown up in brings back a few things he isn't necessarily aware of. Like speaking German. He doesn't notice it and Matthew just assumes it's because "she's" German. And Arthur won't notice it because genies have this uncanny ability to understand any and everything without trying.**

**Anywho, to avoid confusion, try to remember that Gilbert is Maria and Maria is Gilbert. I know there's two names for fem!Gilbert, on being more German sounding, but he's been in America for a lot of his life so he doesn't know German names. It was just the first name he could come up with.**

**Also! I can promise you that Gilbert will not be a girl forever! I've written really far ahead and I'm at the chapter where he turns back, so don't worry people who don't like gender-bends!**

**Anyway, that's all I have to say, so see y'all later! And please review!**


	9. First Date

Chapter 9. First Date.

Gilbert was a wreck. He knew he would be doing something with Matthew today but he had absolutely no idea what. He was positive he wasn't ever going to wear that dress again, though. He had already promised that to his pride.

"This isn't like you," Arthur teased. "You're nervous."

"Shut up, brows," Gilbert snapped at him, rummaging through the drawers for some kind of pants or something.

"You need to be more creative with your insults," Arthur smirked.

"Ja, I'm nervous, but that doesn't make me any less awesome," Gilbert glared at him.

"I'm thinking that you have self-esteem issues," Arthur stated. "Perhaps that is why you always call yourself awesome."

"Hey, there are plenty of people worthy of my calling them awesome," Gilbert stated, pulling out these pants that were fairly short, but he'd seen girls wear them before, so they would be fine. "Gilbird, for instance," said bird cheeped, flying in circles around Arthur. "Und Matthew."

"I recall you calling me awesome a few times," Arthur laughed.

"I was in the moment," Gilbert sighed and went into the closet to hopefully find a comfortable shirt.

"You're acting like a lovesick girl," Arthur snorted. "Going through the entire closet."

"I'm trying to find something comfortable, for your information," Gilbert groaned, pulling a random shirt off its hangar. "Besides, I am pretty much the first person Matthew has given a second glance to."

"Weren't you the one that said you weren't worried?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "That you should just be yourself?"

"Ja, that was before I made myself a Beilschmidt," Gilbert sighed, taking off the shirt he had used as sleeping clothes. "And, apparently there's some family drama or something going on with them and that Prince guy."

"Don't look at me," Arthur put his hands up in surrender, but he was obviously looking away from Gilbert as he got ready. "I know nothing of this world as it stands now."

"Ja, I know that," Gilbert sighed, putting on the pants. It was far more comfortable than that stupid dress. He started looking for some sort of comfortable shoes, anything but heels.

"You know what I think you should do?" Arthur sighed.

"Was?" Gilbert sighed, trying to brush the bangs away from his eyes.

"Tell him the truth," Arthur stated.

"Ja, because they all want to hear that a guy from the streets changed his gender for their Prince," Gilbert rolled his eyes. "I'm awesome, but even I can't pull that off."

"So you just intend to be a girl for the rest of your life?" Arthur asked. "You really want to go through a period? And even making heirs for the throne?"

"For Matthew," Gilbert sighed, pulling out a random pair of flats, "ja."

"You really like him that much?" Arthur muttered.

"Well, duh," Gilbert smiled slightly. "Didn't I tell you all this before? He's even more awesome than mein awesome self."

"Alright, fine," Arthur sighed and Gilbert quickly put the shoes on just in time for a knock on the door. Arthur disappeared into the necklace and Gilbert made he sure he at least looked somewhat like a Princess in the mirror, even with his hair pulled back. He had ditched the tiara, but he looked alright.

"Yes?" Gilbert called out and a servant opened the door.

"The Prince asked for me to see if you were ready yet," the servant mumbled.

"And I am," Gilbert nodded.

"I-I will take you to him, then" the servant nodded and Gilbert followed him into the hallway.

* * *

Matthew sighed, nervously playing with his hands while looking out the balcony on the third floor of the castle. It was one of the only places you could even vaguely see the city. There was a rather good view of the garden and the pool here, though Matthew wasn't exactly interested in things he'd seen his whole life.

He had no idea how he was going to bring up the boy in the street with Maria. There was the possibility they could…somehow be the same person. But there was also the possibility that all of this was just a coincidence… Besides, saying that he went onto the street would big a very big mistake. Royalty didn't do things like that.

"Um, hey," Maria mumbled behind him and Matthew swiftly turned around. She looked far different than the night before and a lot more comfortable. He was starting to think that all of those girls simply slept in dresses. But she was in simple clothes with her hair pulled back.

"Hey," Matthew smiled.

"So, what did you have in mind for today?" Maria asked.

"I was thinking I could take you on a tour of the castle," Matthew stated, rubbing his arm awkwardly. Talking to girls was never his strong suit. "I mean, it's fairly pretty and Princesses like pretty things, right?"

"Ja," Maria laughed slightly and Matthew inwardly groaned. Why was he acting like this around a girl, of all things? Curse his shyness!

"W-We should go, then," Matthew nodded back inside.

"Alright," Maria smiled and followed Matthew inside. They walked in as awkward silence with Matthew having absolutely no clue of what to say. "So, this is supposed to be a tour, right?" Maria asked after a while.

"Um, yeah," Matthew rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Then how about you tell me what's over here?" Maria pointed to a door. She was obviously trying to help Matthew, which he was grateful for.

"Oh, right, that's the library," Matthew opened the door for her and they stepped into the library.

"Awesome," Maria smiled, admiring the large bookcases with some sort of vague interest. There were many large windows in this room as well as many desks. Matthew had no idea why they had so much in this castle when hardly anyone lived in it in the first place. "Do you come in here a lot?"

"Uh, not really," Matthew shrugged. "I'm usually busy with other things, but I like to read when I can."

"I haven't read much either," Maria stated, walking over to one of the shelves and pulling out a book.

"If you like, w-we could read together," Matthew offered.

"Pst," someone whispered and Matthew turned towards the door of the library to see Alfred hiding on the other side of the door. Matthew sent him a glare, but all Alfred did was give him a thumbs up. Matthew rolled his eyes and tried to mouth at him to go away, but Alfred just let out a snicker and shook his head before disappearing again. It was a wonder he had stayed quiet this long.

"Uh, Prince?" Maria asked and Matthew swiftly turned to look back at her.

"Yes, sorry, I was a bit distracted," Matthew rubbed at his neck.

"I was saying that would be nice," Maria laughed and put the book back on its shelf. "But do you think we could continue touring? Und maybe lose your brother?"

"You know he's there?" Matthew blinked and he heard a crash from behind him.

"They found me!" Alfred yelped out and Matthew shook his head.

"I-I'm sorry about that," Matthew sighed, shaking his head.

"It's alright," Maria laughed. "I think I noticed him before you."

"Uh, right, the tour," Matthew smiled and motioned out of the library. Maria simply nodded, keeping that smile on her face, and went into the hallway. "Is there anything you think you wanna see?"

"I don't know," Maria shrugged. "Is there anywhere we can go where we can see the city?"

"I've tried looking for a place like that," Matthew sighed and saw his brother rather obviously hiding behind some curtains. Maria saw him, too, and grew a devilish smirk. She put her fingers up to her lips and slowly moved towards the curtains. Matthew simply held back a snicker and watched.

"Boo!" Maria shoved at the curtains and Alfred let out a scream, the curtains tumbling to the ground with him. Matthew laughed with Maria as Alfred eventually found a way to poke his head out.

"Hey, no fair!" Alfred whined.

"Mind giving us a little privacy, Al?" Matthew tried to hold back his laughter long enough to ask.

"But, she's…" Alfred pointed a defeated finger at Maria, who was still laughing. Matthew gave him a glare. "Fine… But if anything happens that I don't hear about later, you'll regret it, little bro."

"Here, I have an idea," Maria laughed and grabbed onto Matthew's wrist, dragging him down the hall.

"Um, wh-where are we going?" Matthew asked, finding even more similarities between Maria and the boy on the street. How was this even possible?

"I'm thinking the roof," Maria smiled back at him.

"The roof?" Matthew blinked. How had he not thought of that before to see the city lights? "But… I don't think there's a way to the roof."

"Every building does," Maria smirked. Matthew couldn't help but let out a laugh. He was starting to get more and more comfortable with this girl. He would have to come up with some way to bring up the time in the city without messing anything up. He was starting to actually really like this girl.

Eventually, they did find a very old, very creaky stairwell that led to the roof. Maria made her way up first, leaving Matthew to trail behind her. Once they made it onto the roof, Matthew couldn't help but laugh at the view. It was nothing compared to the view at the top of that building, but it was still wonderful. Finally, something other than the castle and tinted windows. The square was lively just like the last time and peopled moved as if nothing in the world was wrong.

"Pretty, right?" Maria crossed her arms in front of her chest triumphantly. Just like the stranger from the streets would have.

"Kinda reminds you ofthe time we went building hopping, huh?" Matthew glanced over at her, but she was happily staring into the city.

"Ja, just a lot less…dangerous," Maria bit her lip, glancing at Matthew.

"What was that?" Matthew raised an eyebrow.

"I…uh…shieβe…" Maria muttered.

"I knew you reminded me of someone," Matthew sighed. He wasn't exactly mad, but more like irritated. What was going on here?

"Look, I-"

"Did you think I was stupid?"

"No, of course not!"

"That I wouldn't figure it out?"

"Nein," Maria shook her head. "I…I just…"

"Are you the boy from the city?" Matthew asked, trying to look into Maria's eyes and find something…anything…

"N-Nein…" Maria held onto her head, trying to find something to do. "Well…kind of…I mean…"

"Who are you?" Matthew demanded. "Tell me the truth." As if to check and make sure she wasn't just that stranger wearing a wig, he yanked on the ponytail, but it stayed put.

"Ow, that's my hair," Maria muttered and Matthew let go. "The truth…well…I…" Matthew continued to glare at her. "The truth is…I sometimes dress up as a guy, to try to get away and relax, you know? At least check out the city before I have to stay in it for a while. And…you could say the way I dress is a tribute to my brother, since he went missing…"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Matthew asked. He wasn't entirely sure if he believed her or not.

"Well, royalty going out into the city in disguise?" Maria smiled slightly. "It's a little un-awesome, don't you think?"

"Well, it's not that weird," Matthew smiled a little, too. "So, the name for your bird would be after your lost brother?"

"Uh, ja…" Maria nodded slowly. "I-I named my guy counterpart after him, too."

"Do you go out like that a lot?" Matthew asked curiously. Okay, maybe he did believe her. But there were still a few things he had doubts with…

"Ja," Maria stated. "My awesome personality doesn't exactly fit well with the whole royalty gig."

"So, when you were brought down to the dungeon," Matthew stated, and sat down. Maria followed his example, "did you just use your position to get yourself out of it?"

"Ja, it was a little embarrassing," Maria laughed. "Having to reveal that I was really a Princess from Germany…"

"Why did you and Elizaveta not get along very well?" Matthew asked.

"I didn't exactly get the best first impression with her the other day," Maria rubbed the back of her head, her ponytail bobbing up and down. "She does seem to like me a little better now, what with all the stuff I've done."

"And that place you had in the city?" Matthew asked.

"It was like that when I got there," Maria shrugged. "No one came to tell me to get out, so I assumed it was okay. Do you believe me yet? I swear I didn't mean to try to confuse you or anything. I-I didn't even know what you looked like until Elizaveta said something about you."

So…she already cared about Matthew before she even knew who he was? Matthew couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, what about your voice? You sounded just like a guy," Matthew stated.

"I've just gotten good at faking it after all these years," Maria shrugged. "Trust me, at first, I didn't sound anything like a guy. People figured me out right away."

"Alright," Matthew nodded. "I believe you."

"You do?" Maria blinked and smiled. "Gut, because I really do like you. You're pretty awesome, if I do say so myself."

"You're pretty awesome, too," Matthew laughed.

"Danke," Maria laughed and looked down the roof. "Hey, do you ever use that pool?"

"Not often," Matthew shrugged, and looked where she did.

"Interesting," Maria grinned and stood up. "Well, shouldn't we continue this tour?"

"Sure," Matthew followed her and they started back down the rickety, old stairwell.

* * *

**Translations:  
Was-What  
Shieβe-shit  
Danke-Thanks  
I noticed I didn't put a translation in last chapter, but I'm way too lazy to go back and fix it...**

**Okay, so someone noted that I spelled Beilschimdt wrong in the last chapter. Turns out, I've been reading it wrong for the past two years or so I've been in the fandom! Woo… So, yeah, sorry about that, but I promise I won't forget the "i" in there again! I'm just an idiot...**

**So, anyway, Gilbert is trying to act like a girl, but a lot of himself actually shines through, which is why Matthew figures it out rather quickly. I mean, if Gilbird and "awesome" weren't a dead giveaway, his pride certainly was. But he recovered totally smoothly, don't you think? Anywho, the date continues next chapter, so look out for that! If I have enough reason, I may start updating once a day now...**

**So please review!**


	10. Swimming

Chapter 10. Swimming.

Gilbert couldn't believe he was actually pulling this off. He barely managed to get past Matthew's questioning in the first place. But now they seemed a lot closer and Gilbert could act a lot more like himself than the damn Princess roll he was forcing himself to play.

They continued on their tour for quite a while, going into random rooms and Matthew talking about something random. The more they continued, the more Gilbert could tell that he was absolutely, without a doubt, head over heels in love with Matthew. They chatted excitedly together about something that had nothing to do with the room they were in. There were even times when they were able to catch Alfred trying to follow them.

Time flew as the two continued on their merry way and soon Gilbert was well acquainted with the castle. Finally, night had fallen, and it was time for Gilbert's awesome plan that he came up with on the roof to come to life.

"Come on, I have one last idea," Gilbert smiled at Matthew, pulling him along the hallway.

"Something tells me you don't need me to guide you anymore," Matthew sighed, but followed without hesitating.

"Not since about two hours ago," Gilbert winked back at him and he suddenly stopped. "Alright, do me a favor and close your eyes."

"Why?" Matthew asked.

"Because it's a surprise," Gilbert laughed.

"Only you would be able to surprise someone in their own home," Matthew shook his head, but did close his eyes.

"It's 'cause I'm awesome," Gilbert smirked and started leading Matthew again, looking back at him various times to ensure his eyes were still closed. Eventually, they made it outside, right in front of the pool.

"Why are we outside, Maria?" Matthew asked. Gilbert nearly sighed…as much as he loved being around Matthew, it was just sad that he had to be a girl.

"It's all a part of my surprise," Gilbert chimed, leading him up to the pool.

"You know, it's not much of a surprise when I can smell chlorine," Matthew stated.

"The pool isn't the surprise," Gilbert smirked, stopping them at the very edge of the pool and leaning close to Matthew, who grew a huge blush on his face with their proximity. But he still kept his eyes shut.

"Then what is?" Matthew asked, smiling like he couldn't help it.

"This," Gilbert smiled and held onto Matthew's shoulders before plunging into the water. Gilbert easily resurfaced, laughing a little as he watched Matthew flounder to the surface. Luckily, they were in shallow enough water so that they could stand, their clothes floating slightly in the water.

"What was that?" Matthew snapped at him, finally opening his eyes.

"I told you, a surprise," Gilbert smirked, leaning towards him slightly before pulling back to swim backwards on his back. "You were the one that said you don't use the pool much."

"And so you got the idea to nearly drown me?" Matthew sighed, but Gilbert could see his smile when he stood back up.

"Exakt," Gilbert laughed. "Awesome plan, right?"

"You are so dead," Matthew laughed and started swimming towards Gilbert.

"Run away from the Canadian!" Gilbert laughed and started swimming away from him. Eventually, though Matthew caught up with him and held onto his wrist, getting him to stop.

"Gotcha," Matthew said breathlessly.

"Did I take a little too much out of you?" Gilbert smirked, but didn't pull back. He rather liked being this close to Matthew. His hair was dripping wet, yet that odd curl stayed hanging over the front of his face. Even his nose was dripping…and his lips.

"Maybe," Matthew muttered and Gilbert could see him leaning forward slightly.

"Gut," Gilbert stated and leaned forward as well. When they were just a few millimeters apart when Gilbert finally closed his eyes and he sincerely hoped nothing would get in the way this time. Thankfully, his lips made contact and actually stayed there for a short while before the two pulled back, staring closely in each other's eyes.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Matthew laughed.

"Ditto," Gilbert smirked and gave Matthew a quick peck before swimming backwards again. Matthew simply laughed and splashed some water at Gilbert's face. "Did you just splash a Princess?" Gilbert put his hand over his heart to feign shock.

"No," Matthew smirked. "I splashed some kid I met in the city."

"Well, then that makes two of us," Gilbert splashed water at Matthew, too.

"You don't want to start this war," Matthew laughed, splashing at him again.

"I think I do," Gilbert splashed right back. "And I'm positive I'll win."

"Let's test that theory," Matthew stated and started swimming after Gilbert, who easily evaded him throughout the rather massive pool. They laughed and splashed around, and if they hadn't already been soaked, they certainly were now.

Finally, Gilbert gained the upper-hand by trapping Matthew's legs and pressing him against the wall of the pool.

"Ich gewinne," Gilbert smirked and decided to take his trophy…another kiss. This one lasted longer than the first, with both of them holding onto each other for support and Gilbert couldn't even give a shit anymore that he was a girl. All that mattered was this awesome moment, kissing the most awesome guy he had ever met in his life.

"Alright," Matthew finally pulled back first. "I admit defeat."

"Aw, so easily?" Gilbert pouted.

"Well, it seems like you're stronger than me," Matthew pointed out, "and I can't exactly move very well right now, can I?"

"Doesn't mean you can't try," Gilbert smirked pulling in closer just to get a better look at those violet eyes.

"I don't think I want to hurt you," Matthew smiled.

"Oh, come on, I can take a hit," Gilbert laughed.

"It just wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me, now would it?" Matthew asked.

"I guess not," Gilbert sighed and pulled back. Maybe being his actual gender did matter to him. Maybe if he were actually a girl, that line would have made Gilbert happy…

"Well, I think we've been out for a long time," Matthew muttered, a blush very present on his face. "Maybe we should get you back to your room."

"What? Do you have any other date plans?" Gilbert laughed and easily hoisted himself up, onto the ground before turned to try to hold out a helping hand for Matthew. But he just denied it and got out by himself. Maybe if Gilbert were actually a guy, he would have taken it.

"No," Matthew laughed, trying to straighten out his soaking, dripping clothes. "I'm just thinking that I'm a little tired and you probably are, too."

"Ja, I guess," Gilbert smiled softly at him.

"Then, uh, let's get inside," Matthew nodded back to the castle. "It's…a little cold."

"Just a bit," Gilbert laughed. He had to admit, he was shivering slightly, especially as a small breeze whipped through. Matthew put an arm around Gilbert's shoulders to keep him warm, something Gilbert would have been doing had he been a guy.

Eventually, they made their way inside and through the halls the both of them knew very well. They came up to Gilbert's door, the only door in the hallway that actually had someone living behind it.

"Uh, good night, then," Matthew muttered, smiling at him.

"Yeah, guten Nacht," Gilbert nodded and stole a quick kiss before deciding to disappear into his room.

* * *

Matthew stood in front of the closed door for a short while, not able to stop a smile from creeping onto his face, his fingers touching where he could still feel Maria's lips.

He swiftly turned around and started towards his own room, hoping to get there before his brother ambushed him and demanded to know how it went.

"Hey," Alfred made his way out of a closed door and Matthew let out a sigh. "So, how did it go?"

"You should know," Matthew glared at him. "You were stalking us the entire time."

"That's only because I care about you," Alfred mocked hurt on his face.

"Even Maria knew when you were around," Matthew sighed, shaking his head.

"Okay, just tell me what you think about her," Alfred pleaded. "Please? You're acting like a teenage girl. That means it must have gone well!"

"Okay, I do like her," Matthew stated. "A-A lot." He felt himself start to blush again, just thinking about the times they kissed.

"Do you wanna know the reason I let her through?" Alfred smirked, obviously very pleased with himself.

"I know you're going to tell me anyway," Matthew chuckled.

"She was the first girl that put you first," Alfred smiled, looking up at the ceiling. "I mean, most of the other girls tried to accent themselves, prove that they were the best out of all the others. That one girl only cared about you."

"And I know why," Matthew smiled, too.

"Why?" Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"What? You didn't catch this part?" Matthew teased.

"Must have been while you were on the roof!" Alfred groaned. "Dammit! I knew I missed something!"

"She was that stranger," Matthew smiled.

"Whoa, seriously?" Alfred let out a laugh. "She dressed as a guy?"

"For the same reason I left, practically," Matthew chuckled. "She just wanted to get away and feel normal for once."

"So your mystery man turned out to be a Princess in disguise," Alfred mused. "Damn. I never would have seen that coming."

"I think that was the point," Matthew laughed. "So it turns out he didn't escape, she just made her way out of it. I guess she wouldn't want people to know about her doing things like that…"

"So, you really like her, huh?" Alfred asked.

"Of course," Matthew nodded. "I-I love her."

"So…do you think you finally found one you want to marry?" Alfred pressed.

"Yes…I think so," Matthew smiled.

"Sweet!" Alfred tackled him into a side hug, just outside Matthew's room. "I thought this would never happen! Especially when I thought you were gay…"

"Okay, yay, everything's happy," Matthew shoved his brother off. "Now will you let me get to sleep?"

"Yeah, of course," Alfred said with a wave of his hand. "But, when you wake up, we're gonna plan out everything, bro! And then we're gonna have to do the rings and shit. And we're gonna have to call the Beilschmidts, too. I don't know why there aren't any around right now. Maybe they just went looking for the Prince."

"Alfred," Matthew stopped his brother. "That's nice, but I am tired. So would you please just leave and let me sleep? Finally?"

"Yeah, sure," Alfred laughed, patting Matthew on the shoulder. "I'm just really happy for you!"

"I am, too," Matthew assured him. "Now good night." With that, Matthew opened his door and slammed it in Alfred's face.

"Okay! Just be ready in the morning!" Alfred chimed and Matthew just shook his head, stooping down to pick up Kumayuron from the ground and sat down on his bed.

"Kuma, I think I really, really like her," Matthew muttered, falling back and staring at his ceiling. "You liked her, too, right?"

The bear simply curled some more into Matthew, seeming about ready to fall asleep.

"I don't know why I'm so nervous," Matthew let out a laugh. "She likes me, too. I mean, she kissed me back, after all… I just really don't want to mess this up…"

* * *

**Translations:  
Exakt- Exactly  
Gut-Good  
****Ich gewinne-I win(Google translated, sorry!)  
Guten Nacht-Good night**

**Alright, so since I'm nice I've decided to try to update every day. I'm slightly scared my computer may die at any second, but I'm gonna be constantly saving my work on a flash drive, so I hope I'll be good!**

**Anyway! Back to the story, their first date went swimmingly (hehe, puns). And royalty loves to move quickly with relationships, especially when this Prince has been waiting for as long as possible to get married. Bear in mind that this country has gone on for a really long time without a King and just two Princes and an advisor. Who's Francis. Obviously they need to work quickly with marriage. And "Maria" shouldn't have anything against it, should he?**

**Please review! I will wuv you fowever!**


	11. By A Hair

Chapter 11. By a Hair.

"Fuck yeah!" Gilbert cheered to himself, taking care to at least be sort of quiet just in case Matthew was still around. This was all going better than he ever imagined. He wasn't even embarrassed to do his own awesome victory dance. Hell, he could have done that in front of the whole world and he couldn't have cared less.

"Relax, hot shot," Arthur sighed, coming out of the necklace again.

"Hey, come on, that was awesome," Gilbert couldn't wipe the smile off his face no matter how hard he tried. "I mean, that was pretty much flawless."

"Except when he almost found you out," Arthur stated. "And you lied."

"Und what would have happened if I went up to him and said, 'Oh, yeah, I'm a guy. Did I forget to mention that?'" Gilbert asked him. "Come on, you aren't even gonna give me props for that? I was perfectly awesome!"

"You two were obnoxious enough to make me gag," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"So you do know what happens when you're in your lamp," Gilbert smirked.

"Yes, it's rather hard to not hear when your obnoxious mouth is right next to it," Arthur stated.

"Hölle, you could've made it a purse," Gilbert shrugged. "But I don't give a shit anymore! Because that was just awesome!"

"Are you proud of that first kiss?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"That was definitely not my first kiss," Gilbert argued. In all honesty, yes it most definitely was. No girl, or boy for that matter, would even come near him back on the streets. He had no chance for a relationship, though he had seen plenty of them explode on the streets. He knew, more or less, how these things worked out. A week ago, if you were to tell him that he was supposed to go through a relationship, Gilbert would have just laughed it off and told you to leave. Now, though…it was all Gilbert could think about.

"Whatever you say, lad," Arthur laughed.

"And quit it with your eyebrowing," Gilbert pointed at him. "Anyway, I'm going to bed, so you sleep, too."

"Yes, Lord knows what kind of date you'll be going on tomorrow," Arthur sighed and disappeared once again. Gilbert let out a triumphant laugh and fist pumped before falling back onto the insanely comfortable bed. Okay, yeah, maybe he could get used to this. Easily.

Gilbert let out a happy sigh, just about ready to shut off the lights and actually fall asleep, when his door suddenly slammed open. He didn't even have time to react before he was pinned down by some castle guards. He was sure, had he been a guy, he could have gotten his way out of this, but Princesses were pathetically weak.

"Was machst du?" Gilbert snapped at them, but they quickly gagged him.

"Oh, calm down, garçon," a very familiar voice stated happily and Gilbert froze. He looked at his door and found that guy, Francis, standing in the doorway. He seemed a little off compared to earlier, and had this cocky grin on.

Gilbert tried to curse at him, but it was all muffled by the gag. And no matter how hard he tried to fight, he couldn't get out of the grip the guards had on him. He couldn't help but notice that Elizaveta was nowhere to be seen.

"Take him some place he won't be found," Francis stated and Gilbert froze once again. The men picked him up off the bed, keeping him up the ground. "Do not give me that look, of course I know."

Gilbert tried yelling at him and even tried kicking at the men keeping hold of him, but he couldn't get out of their grip, no matter how hard he tried. Francis came up to him and even tried to hold onto Gilbert's chin, but Gilbert easily whipped his head away and glared at him with practically everything he had.

"As much as I would love to watch all of this play out," Francis smirked, gripping onto Gilbert's face hard, "you are getting in my way. Adieu, Gilbert."

Gilbert's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before something hard came in contact with his head and everything went black.

Everything was in and out after that. One second, he was being carried. The next, he was on the ground in the dark. He could hear the men talking around him. And something that sounded like roaring around him. There was a bright light around him and he couldn't breathe, but he couldn't move. Someone was yelling in his ear, but they were easily drowned out in the muddled mess of Gilbert's head. Someone was shaking him after a while, but Gilbert could hardly tell.

"Gilbert!" the voice sounded like it was in a dream and, as much as Gilbert wanted to fight his way to the surface, he couldn't. He just drifted into the abyss, finally giving up on that stupid breathing thing.

"Wake the bloody hell up!" something kicked Gilbert hard in the stomach and Gilbert coughed, breathing in deeply, the cold air around him stinging his lungs.

"Fucking hell!" Gilbert groaned, holding onto his pounding head. He was breathing rapidly and could have sworn his skin was burnt in multiple places.

"You just gave me a heart attack," Arthur sighed above him and Gilbert glanced up at him, some of that damn long white hair falling in front of his face.

"You try going through what I just did," Gilbert muttered, trying to move to sit upright. "Why did you kick me?"

"You weren't breathing, you arse!" Arthur snapped at him.

"I know you care," Gilbert sighed, giving up on standing up and just lying on his back for a short while. He could see the night sky through…smoke? "What just happened?"

"They tossed you into a burning building!" Arthur yelled, running a nervous hand through his hair. "You're lucky you subconsciously rubbed the lamp, otherwise I wouldn't have come out to save you."

"Francis," Gilbert groaned and looked around slightly, finding a two story building lit on fire behind him. He must have tried to do something as inconspicuous as possible. How could someone figure out who he was when he was burnt to a crisp?

"I'm sorry, lad, but when I told you no more free wishes…" Arthur shook his head. "It counted as your second wish."

"Do I look like I care about a wish right now?" Gilbert groaned. "I just almost died! Danke…"

"From the looks of things, you'll be a girl forever," Arthur muttered.

"Doesn't matter," Gilbert stated. "As long as Mattie's…Mattie!" Gilbert finally managed to sit upright.

"What?" Arthur asked.

"Francis said I was getting in his way," Gilbert pressed, quickly standing up. "The only thing I've had anything to do with is Matthew. I think that asshole wants something with him."

"Then we better hurry," Arthur muttered.

"Uh, ja," Gilbert scoffed.

* * *

Matthew could hardly sleep, he was in such a great mood. He just wished that today could have lasted forever with Maria…

"Good, you're awake," someone opened up the door and turned on the light.

"What?" Matthew sat up from his bed and saw his brother standing next to the door, but something was definitely wrong with him. "Al, what are you doing?"

"I figured out a way to help with the wedding issue," Alfred stated.

"What are you talking about?" Matthew got up off his bed. "I already told you, I want to-"

"You are to marry Francis," Alfred stated and Matthew froze. On cue, the Frenchman made his way into his room and Matthew balled his fists.

"What part of 'I never want to see you again' do you not understand?" Matthew snapped at him.

"I am hurt, mon cher," Francis sighed and tried to walk towards him, but Matthew took a step back. Kumahinon even jumped off the bed and growled at the man.

"Al, we just talked about this," Matthew turned to his brother. "I already said I wanted to marry Maria."

"Princess Maria left," Francis stated. "I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news. It seems she got bored."

"Try again, asshole," Maria's voice scoffed and Matthew saw her come in from his balcony.

"What?" Matthew asked out loud, hoping to find some sort of answer from the people in front of him.

"It takes a lot more than that to kill the awesome me," Maria angrily stomped towards him.

"Kill?" Matthew gaped.

"I have done nothing," Francis put his hands up in surrender.

"You tried to have me killed!" Maria yelled at him.

"Huh?" Alfred blinked, and for a while looked like himself, but then Francis snaked his arm over his shoulders.

"Do not listen to…her," Francis glanced at Maria, who paused slightly. "She's obviously lying to you."

"The ring," Maria muttered, making eye contact with Matthew. It took Matthew a short while to realize what she was talking about. It was the ring Francis always had on his right hand. It had this blue gem in it that he noticed was close to Alfred's face right now. Matthew nodded, signaling he understood, and then before he could back down, he lunged at Francis, quickly grabbing onto the ring and pulling it back, ignoring how much pain it apparently caused Francis.

"You do not want to do that, mon cher," Francis tried to say in a soothing voice, completely abandoning Alfred, who seemed to be in a daze.

"Yeah, right," Matthew glared at him before throwing the ring down onto the ground, gem first. The blue gem shattered with a spark and Alfred fell onto the ground. "Al," Matthew moved to step towards him, but Francis proved to be in the way.

"I got him," Maria stated, kneeling down next to Alfred.

"Guards!" Matthew yelled out and within a second, Elizaveta and a few other guards came in. Then Matthew was able to say something he'd wanted to for quite some time. "Arrest him."

"Yes, sir," Elizaveta smiled and the guards moved towards Francis, but he pulled out a small vial of something and they stopped.

"I am not done yet," Francis smirked and turned to Maria. "I love your necklace, by the way." With that, he slammed the vial onto the ground and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Matthew could see Maria holding her hand over the necklace Matthew had noticed many times before. It was some kind of Arabian lamp, but what did that have to do with anything?

"Are you alright?" Elizaveta came up to Matthew.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Matthew waved her off. "Go check on Al."

"Right," Elizaveta nodded and went over to Alfred's side.

"Maria," Matthew tried to get Maria's attention, but she didn't seem to budge. "Maria."

"Oh, right, ja?" Maria looked up at him and Matthew gave him a weak smile.

"Are you alright?" Matthew knelt down next to her.

"Ja, I'm fine," Maria nodded, her hair falling out of the ponytail slightly. Now that Matthew paid closer attention to her, he noticed some black smudge marks all over her.

"Maple, what happened?" Matthew held onto her arm.

"I'm fine, relax," Maria chuckled. "Everything's alright now."

"But he got away," Matthew muttered.

"Hey, did you say 'maple' just a second ago?" Maria asked him.

"Uh, yeah, why?" Matthew asked.

"That's hilarious," Maria patted him on the shoulder, laughing. "Or adorable. I have no idea."

"What just happened?" Alfred groaned, holding onto his head.

"The heroic Prince has awakened," Matthew smirked at him.

"No back sass, thank you," Alfred glared at him. "What happened to her?" he pointed to Maria.

"Ah, it's no big deal," Maria said with a wave of her hand.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Matthew pressed.

"Ja, Birdie, I'm fine," Maria smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips before pulling back.

"If you say so…" Matthew sighed.

"So, we're still talking marriage tomorrow, right?" Alfred blurted.

"Marriage?" Maria blinked.

"Um, yeah," Matthew rubbed the back of his head. "Meant to get around to that tomorrow, Al…"

"Dude, I don't know what the hell just hit me," Alfred said bluntly. "I'm gonna say anything I want to."

"How chivalrous," Maria laughed, but Matthew could tell that something was setting her on edge. She said something in German that Matthew was fairly sure she wasn't aware of. But it was just her native tongue, right? Was she just nervous for getting married or something? Should Matthew try talking to her about it?

* * *

**Translations:  
Was machst du?-What are you doing? (Google translated, sorry!)  
Garçon- boy**

**Yay! Some vague action! I had a hard time, at first, coming up with a different way to do the "drowning scene" in Aladdin and then I came up with a burning building because Francis is an ass right now. Luckily Arthur is just such a sweetheart to save Gilbert, eh? Anyway, Gilbert's getting a little nervous and his German is coming out quite a lot, though he can't exactly help it. What will happen next? If you've seen the movie, you should already know, but I have a killer twist coming up, so you may not know! Yay!**

**Anyway, please review! It's awesome like Gilbert/Maria!**


	12. Screw Up

Chapter 12. Screw Up.

"Oh, Gott," Gilbert was pacing. He was sure he hadn't gotten even a minute of sleep the whole night. "Oh, Gott, oh, gott, oh, gott…"

"What has you so worried?" Arthur came out of the lamp, sitting happily on the bed.

"I-Ich…" Gilbert muttered, running his hand through his stupid long hair. He just wanted to rip it all out! "I don't…I can't…"

"Spit it out, lad," Arthur sighed.

"I just can't," Gilbert sunk to his knees. His hands were shaking. He couldn't do this. He loved Matthew, yes. He had turned into a girl for him, yes. But…actually getting married to him…as a girl. He couldn't let himself do that.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked.

"I can't do it!" Gilbert snapped. "I'm lying and I'm…just really not awesome right now…"

"I am sure you are fully awesome," Arthur sighed. "You just need to pull yourself together."

"I can't do it…" Gilbert repeated himself. "Not without help, at least…"

"Help?" Arthur asked.

"I'm sorry," Gilbert muttered, not looking up at him. "I-Ich know I promised you I would let you go, but…"

"I get it," Arthur scoffed angrily. "You are just like the others…Selfish…"

"I'm sorry," Gilbert looked up at him, but Arthur wasn't looking. "I just can't do it anymore…"

"Maybe you should have thought of that before," Arthur scoffed.

"I…we can think of something else," Gilbert tried thinking rapidly in his head, but he was so tired and confused and worried…he couldn't do anything.

"You've been lying to everyone else, after all," Arthur stated, turning into green smoke. "I was beginning to feel left out."

"Nein…" Gilbert looked down at the necklace. "Bitte…I'm sorry."

"Just shut up," Arthur spat.

"Fine!" Gilbert quickly unhooked the necklace and tossed it at the bed. "Be that way! I don't even need you! I'm just…I'm gonna tell Birdie the truth. Ja…"

There was a sudden knock on the door and Gilbert quickly stood up, trying to straighten himself out. He was still in the clothes from last night, still covered in the soot from the burning building…that Arthur had saved him from…

"May I come in?" Elizaveta's voice chimed from the other side and Gilbert honestly had no idea what to do. He was sure he looked like a wreck, something a Princess should never look like.

"Uh…" Gilbert muttered, but Elizaveta had already entered the room. She held a happy face until she got a good look at Gilbert.

"Oh, dear, that just won't do!" Elizaveta sighed.

"Was?" Gilbert blinked.

"Come on, stand up," Elizaveta held out a hand that Gilbert eventually did take and she gave him a hug. "I'm here to help you out for the day."

"With what?" Gilbert asked, feeling very awkward being hugged by who he viewed as his enemy for the past couple years.

"Your wedding with Prince Matthew will be announced today, of course!" Elizaveta pulled back to reveal a bright hand happy smile and Gilbert's spirits sank dramatically.

"Ja, right," Gilbert muttered.

"You're nervous, I understand," Elizaveta said happily clasping onto his hand and starting to drag him outside of his room.

"Where are we going?" Gilbert asked, not exactly trying to stop them from leaving.

"Well, you're gonna get fitted first," Elizaveta chimed. "Well, we should actually do something about all that ash and soot first. After that, then we'll get you all pulled together for the announcement later today!"

"Fitted…" Gilbert repeated that word. As in…for a dress? Gilbert gulped. There was no way this was happening.

"Oh, don't be worried," Elizaveta giggled. "I'm sure it's nothing you aren't used to back in Germany."

"Uh-hu…" Gilbert slowly nodded.

* * *

Being fitted was a nightmare. Gilbert had absolutely no idea how girls actually did it and he was touched in places no girl should be touched. Or guy, for that matter. But they were all "girls," so "What did it matter?"

All Gilbert wanted to do was go and find Matthew and talk to him. He had to tell him the truth, or he would go insane. Finally, he was released from the torture, but only after he was shoved into some new dress for this stupid announcement. It was navy blue and went all the way to the ground, leading Gilbert to nearly trip on it every second. There was a beaded strip that went all the way around his neck, so at least it wasn't strapless… Gilbert also had to suffer through make-up even more with the same colors as the dress, but still "accenting his eyes and natural colors." Even his hair was curled and constantly getting in his face.

Once this finally ended, Gilbert was led upstairs to where Matthew had said the balcony was and he couldn't help but begin to feel nervous. This was not going well at all. He had to find Matthew…

"Hey, Maria," Matthew smiled, awkwardly making his way up to Maria. At least he was nervous, too. Gilbert let out a sigh of relief. He was rather dressed up, too, in a white dress shirt, black vest and slacks, and dress shoes. He even had a crown tilted slightly on his head that made him look really cute. But Gilbert couldn't focus on that right now.

"Birdie," Gilbert sighed. "I-I have to tell you something."

"Yeah, I'm a little nervous, too," Matthew chuckled.

"That's not what I wanted to tell you," Gilbert muttered.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry," Matthew blinked. "Uh, what's wrong?"

"I'm not exactly sure how to tell you," Gilbert muttered, trying to run through what to say in his head…Even he was starting to feel a little confused with everything that was going on. "I-"

"Come on, guys! Let's go!" Alfred came up behind them and shoved them onto the balcony. Gilbert froze. It wasn't exactly like the city could see them, but of course there was a camera that Gilbert had no doubt was broadcasting all over the world. Gilbert was practically shutting down at this point and couldn't even hear Alfred obnoxiously yelling to the world.

"Maria?" Matthew muttered, trying to get Gilbert's attention, but it didn't work.

Just when the announcement was done and Gilbert started returning to reality, someone new burst onto the balcony.

"Bonjour," Francis smiled at them.

"Guards!" Alfred yelled. Without thinking, Gilbert stepped in front of Matthew protectively.

"Ah-ah! I would not touch me if I were you," Francis smirked and held up the lamp necklace.

"Nein…" Gilbert shook his head and Francis gave him a smile before it morphed into a rose and green smoke began to pour out of it.

"Uh, what's going on?" Matthew asked as the smoke solidified to create a still very pissed looking Arthur.

"Gilbert, I-" Arthur stopped when he looked up at Francis. "No…" he shook his head.

"Ah, he is cuter than I thought," Francis smirked and tried to move towards Arthur, but he just took a step back. "Fine, then, but you are still to do as I say, genie."

"Arthur, don't," Gilbert stated.

"Arthur?" Francis raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Matthew asked.

"I have to," Arthur sighed, looking to the ground.

"For my first wish," Francis cupped Arthur's chin, making him look up at him, "I wish to rule the most powerful country in the world, America-Canada, as king."

"Fuck that," Alfred spat and opened his mouth to probably yell for the guards once again, who for some reason couldn't make it through the door to the balcony, but Arthur was quicker.

"Sorry," Arthur muttered and snapped his fingers, wincing as he did so. The crowns that both the Princes had on disappeared and a new one appeared on Francis' head.

"Just 'cause you have a crown on your head doesn't mean you're king of anything," Alfred stated angrily.

"So that means you were not, either" Francis retorted.

"You're not king of anything," Matthew stated and tried to move towards him, but Gilbert stopped him. Matthew gave him a confused look, but Gilbert stood his ground. He couldn't let Matthew get hurt by this guy.

"If you won't respect me as this," Francis smirked, "then you will respect me with real power. _Arthur_, I wish to be the most powerful sorcerer in the world."

"Yes, sir," Arthur muttered through clenched teeth and he snapped his fingers once again.

"Trés bon," Francis smirked, clenching his fists as if to test out this new "power." "Now, before you get in my way again…" Francis turned his attention to Gilbert, who stood even more in front of Matthew. Francis simply laughed and thrust his hand out and Gilbert was promptly shoved into the wall to his side on his back, which resulted in getting the wind knocked out of him and his head ramming hard into the wall. He tried to move, but found himself stuck, pressed against the wall.

"Maria," Matthew said worriedly, but Francis made him stay put.

"Poor Gilbert," Francis smirked. "You are confusing everyone, even yourself."

"I don't know if you've noticed," Alfred stated, obviously stuck still just like the rest of them, "but that's a girl."

"Is she now?" Francis smiled. He flicked his hand and Gilbert felt his hair shrink and his body change. He felt his muscles return and he was finally back to the way he was before all of this happened. The dress changed into the rags he had worn on the streets and all of the make-up on his face disappeared. As much as Gilbert should have loved the fact that he was back to normal, the shock on Matthew's face brought him back to reality.

"Birdie, I meant to-" Gilbert's mouth snapped shut before he could continue and he couldn't reopen it.

"So your petite Princess has turned out to be a simple street rat," Francis smirked grabbing Gilbert's head by the chin and making him look at him. "Just a con, oui?"

"What?" Matthew muttered and Gilbert fought as hard as he could to open his mouth and deny it. But he couldn't.

"He tricked you just to find his way out of the streets," Francis continued and Gilbert glared at him the best he could without moving. "I do not think he even cared about you."

"Is that true?" Matthew asked. His voice sounded like it was trembling.

"Yes," Gilbert said against his own will. He really wanted to punch this French bastard now. He had moved just enough out of Gilbert's vision so he could see the look on Matthew's face.

"Not to worry," Francis laughed and Gilbert floated off the wall, hovering in midair and unable to even move. "I will get him out of your sight right now." Francis flicked his wrist and Gilbert was sent flying into the sky at a speed that had Gilbert passed out in seconds.

He only came back to consciousness for a short second when a massive wave of pain hit every part of his body and he passed out again.

* * *

Matthew stood still, unable to move even if he could, trying to process what had just happened. Francis could have easily been lying, but the way Maria…no…the stranger had been acting and his face of shock…He even admitted everything was true. Matthew actually started to cry just as he was finally allowed to move on his own and he crumbled onto his knees. He had actually let himself fall in love and it was a lie. Just like all of the others…

"Mattie…" Alfred muttered, but he was still far away.

"Now we can run this country the way it should be, oui?" Francis said happily above Matthew. The camera was probably still rolling, so he was probably talking to that. Matthew glanced up and Francis really was looking at the camera. The so-called "genie" was standing slightly behind him, looking very conflicted.

It was all just a trick…Magic meant to lead Matthew on.

"I suggest we start an invasion on the Spanish territory, Mexico, first," Francis hummed and soon he knelt down in front of Matthew. "I will be needing my own Queen, non?"

Matthew looked at him to check if he was actually being serious. He seemed perfectly serious and Matthew sniffled.

"What do you say?" Francis asked with a smirk on his face, like he knew what Matthew would say.

Matthew looked at him for a while. He was just betrayed and had his heart ripped in two on world-wide television. He was just brought to tears and it was only proved that Matthew would probably never find someone to love. He was just ripped apart to a point where he would probably never be fixed again. But he wasn't stupid.

So he spit in Francis's face.

* * *

**Translation:  
Bitte-Please**

**I feel a little bad making Francis be all villainy and stuff...But I shall get over it. Again, he's OOC, but I have my own reasons for doing so. But that's explained later. Also, I noticed that, in Aladdin, Jasmine has a lack of reaction to basically being lied to, so I fixed that with Mattie. And I feel really bad for him. And Gil, who just got tossed somewhere you will see tomorrow. And, yes, at this point, Gilbert will be staying a boy. So, yay.**

**And please review. It's always much appreciated.**


	13. Miracles

Chapter 13. Miracles.

**(A/N- Things in **_**italics**_** are in **_**German**_**)**

Ludwig sighed, running a hand through his already slicked back hair. He had no idea why he was even here, but he was already close-by. He was supposed to be watching some announcement America-Canada was conducting like everyone else in the world, but he had been out doing a job. On his way back, however, some sort of meteor had landed on someone's house. So here he was, listening to the poor owner of the house complain.

"_I was just trying to watch the announcement, but then something fell from the sky! I could have died! I thought Japan was able to track these thing when they were falling and be able to warn us! I could sue! I don't even know how long it will take to rebuild my house_!"

Ludwig glanced at the debris of the house. The roof was caved in from some sort of high-impact crash. It was a two-story house, but it seemed that the object had made it to the bottom floor.

"_Thank God no one was hurt! You have to do something about this!"_ the owner continued.

"_Yes, yes,_" Ludwig sighed, stopping the man with a wave of a hand. He was a King right now, after all. He could get people to shut up if he wanted. Except for the Italian Princes, that is… "_I will investigate. You are sure no one was injured?_"

"_Yes_," the owner nodded his head and Ludwig waved to the medics that had arrived to tell them to leave. With a few others, Ludwig started towards the house. Luckily, the front door was still intact and he made his way in through that. One thing he found odd was the lack of any possible fire. If this had been a meteor, there should have been a flame.

Ludwig went straight to the large pile of rubble, where pieces of the house lay. He kneeled down to look at the rubble to try to find any sort of clue as to what had fallen out of the sky. He thought he saw something odd underneath a large piece of the wall and picked it up. He immediately dropped the piece of the wall when he saw a pale hand.

"_Get the medics back here now!_" Ludwig roared at the others and they all departed quickly. Ludwig carefully went to getting rocks off the buried person and soon had an entire horribly broken arm uncovered. If he was lucky, the person would be fully intact, that way they would be able to heal him fully. Hopefully.

Taking a guess at where the head would be in comparison to the arm, Ludwig picked up some more debris, revealing…white hair? Ludwig had learned not to get his hopes up every time he saw someone with white hair. After all, it was a fashion choice in Germany for quite a while now, since his brother went missing. But that didn't mean Ludwig wasn't insanely curious. He worked faster at getting the debris off and finally uncovered a face. It was beaten and battered and bloody, but it at least seemed like the man was alive. Ludwig put his hand over the man's mouth just to make sure he was still breathing.

At that point, several medics rushed in and joined Ludwig in unearthing the man. Luckily, all of his body parts were still intact, if not horribly broken. The medics pulled out their scanners to check what was broken and if they would be able to fix it and Ludwig's curiosity got the best of him.

"_Can you get a blood test from him?_" Ludwig asked one of the medics who wasn't scanning.

"_We can't take any blood from him if he's this badly injured_, _sire,_" the medic stated.

"_There is plenty of blood on the floor_," Ludwig stated. "_Take some of that._"

The medic nodded and quickly pulled his own scanner from his pocket and used it to get some blood from the ground.

"_Compare it to mine_," Ludwig held out his hand and didn't even feel the prick that came with taking blood. Ludwig stared at the broken man while the test calculated. The medics were talking about how they would move him to get him into their car and to the nearest hospital.

"_It's a…match,_" the medic stated, sounding like he didn't believe his own words. Ludwig and the other medics in the room froze, all of them staring at the man passed out in the rubble. "_That is Gilbert Beilschmidt, rightful heir to the German throne._"

"_You're home_…" Ludwig muttered, not even believing his own words. The medics' demeanors changed immediately. This was no longer some kid passed out in a house. This was a King. They hurriedly sprayed the best numbing spray they carried and several went out to get a gurney. Ludwig had no idea what to do. His parents had died searching for him and he was finally home, crashed into some old house…

Ludwig was crashed out of his reverie as his phone began to ring. The medics started loading Gilbert onto the gurney and started out of the house. Ludwig followed them out while answering the phone after checking the caller ID.

"Feli, I cannot talk right now," Ludwig stated, easily keeping up with the medics.

"I was just calling to ask if you had seen the announcement from America-Canada," Feliciano, an Italian Prince, stated, but Ludwig could hear the obvious worry in his voice.

"Nein, I did not," Ludwig stated, stepping into the medic's car just as they closed the door and they sped off down the road.

"Something really, really bad happened!" Feliciano whined. "There was this really pretty Princess, who they were saying was related to you, but then this man showed up and a lot of weird stuff happened, but the girl turn into a boy and he was albino and I was thinking it could be Gilbert! And then he was sent flying! And one of the Princes was crying, but then he spat in the weird man's face. But that's not the point! The weird man said he was going to start taking over places! What do I do?"

"Stop collecting your white flags like I know you're doing," Ludwig sighed, trying to think about was Feliciano said. "Send me the video. I would like to see it."

"O-Okay!" Feliciano muttered. "Lovi's with Antonio so I don't know what to do! I'm all alone!"

"You are not alone, you have your entire castle there to protect and serve you," Ludwig stated.

"Can I come over for a visit?" Feliciano pleaded.

"And leave your country without its Prince?" Ludwig sighed.

"Grandpa's here! It's fine," Feliciano stated.

"You said you were alone," Ludwig groaned.

"Please! I don't want to die!" Feliciano whined.

"Fine, come over," Ludwig shook his head. "Remember to send me the video. I have to go."

"Okay! I'll be right over!" Feliciano stated, his mood improving dramatically. Ludwig hung-up, shaking his head. He would never be able to control that damn Italian. He only hoped his own brother might have turned out better. After an awkward minute of Ludwig watching the medics working on Gilbert, he finally got a video message, which he immediately opened to watch.

It seemed perfectly normal, for America-Canada, at least. The younger Prince had chosen a bride, who was an albino girl. They said she was a Beilschmidt, but Ludwig knew that wasn't true. She seemed petrified about something, though. Eventually, a man Ludwig recognized as the advisor of the old King and Queen burst out and some necklace in his hand turned into a rose. A man appeared out of nowhere and then it appeared that the advisor was now the new King. The girl was shoved against a wall and then turned into…Gilbert. Ludwig glanced at his passed out brother, who actually looked like he was beginning to stir. He would have quite a lot of explaining to do…

Back at the video, there was talking going on about betrayal and then Gilbert was thrown into the sky. The younger Prince started crying and the advisor offered him marriage, and in response the younger Prince spat in his face. With that, the advisor grew incredibly angry, saying something in French, and then the video stopped.

"I-I…" Gilbert started moving even more, but he was writhing in pain, Ludwig could tell. He immediately rushed to his side. "I have to…" Gilbert really was in intense pain and the medics around them were racing to find something to help him, make him pass out again, anything. "Get to…"

"Gilbert?" Ludwig asked. He was speaking English, something he knew Gilbert only faintly knew when he had gone missing.

"M-Matthew," Gilbert finally relaxed, having been implanted with an Iv.

"_Can you help him_?" Ludwig asked the medics. From the look of the video, it appeared that Gilbert had been flung all the way from New York City.

"_Our scans show nothing we can't handle_," a medic reported, "_sire. It may take a while, but we will get him back to normal._"

"_Good,_" Ludwig nodded, looking back down at his sleeping brother. So he would be fine. Back to normal. Something had happened and Ludwig was sure that America-Canada would provide no answers considering the chaos that was probably ensuing. He would have to ask Gilbert, since he obviously had some unfinished business with Prince Matthew.

There was one question running through his mind, though: what was Gilbert doing as a girl?

* * *

**Sorry this one's a little short, but there's only so much you can do with Ludwig. Anyway, Gilbert's home! And if you think about it, he got flown from New York to Germany in a matter of a couple minutes. So he's barely alive. But he still feels a need to go and save Mattie. Isn't it so sweet? And you can't imagine the shock going through Ludwig's head right now, considering his long-lost brother just fell from the sky. After being a girl, of course. I wonder how Gil is going to explain this one.**

**Please review!**


	14. Missed You, Too

Chapter 14. Missed You, Too.

Waking up was hard. It was like he was in some deep fog, lost and unable to move. Whenever he tried, it was like he was in something really thick, making it near impossible. There were multiple times when he heard something, but it was so muffled, he couldn't even try to understand it. His entire body ached and his head was pounding.

Suddenly, a voice came through his mind clearly.

"Gilbert."

That was his name, wasn't it? Yeah…

"Bruder."

"Wake up, ve~! Please!"

Gilbert actually felt himself move and everything around him became less muddled. He could see some sort of vague light through the fog and he found himself drawn to it. After a while of trying to follow it and more voices, his eyes finally opened. The fog still felt like it was there, making him think a little slowly, but he could clearly see a ceiling above him.

He could hear a constant beeping off to the side and some murmuring that he couldn't bring himself to overhear. Gilbert slowly blinked, trying to bring himself to think about what happened before he came here…

"Oh! He's awake!" a voice Gilbert had never heard before chimed happily and two people ran into Gilbert's vision. One of them was a boy with a bright smile and bright bob of reddish brown hair on his head with a curl that seemed to bounce with his every step and brown eyes. The other was a blonde with slicked back hair and blue eyes. They both looked rather hopeful.

"Can you hear me, Gilbert?" the blonde asked in a very deep voice.

"Do I…know you?" Gilbert muttered, still trying to get his bearings. He couldn't ignore this feeling in the back of his head that there was something important he was missing. The brunette turned to the blonde with a sad look, but the blonde remained stoic.

"My name is Ludwig," the blonde stated.

"How do you know mine?" Gilbert asked slowly, still trying to figure out what he was missing in his head.

"Uh, we just do!" the brunette said happily and Ludwig sent him a swift glare.

"Do you remember what happened before you were here?" Ludwig asked and Gilbert realized he had a German accent. He knew he should have realized something by now, but he wasn't quite sure what. His mind was still just slugging along.

"Not really," Gilbert muttered. That thing was nagging really badly in the back of his mind.

"Well, you did hit your head _really_ hard," the brunette muttered. He had an Italian accent…but why was that important?

"Do you remember anything?" Ludwig asked.

"I remember the city," Gilbert sighed, trying to run through something in his head. "Some strange man and then…a boy."

"That is fine, just try to focus on remembering," Ludwig stated.

"What happened?" Gilbert asked.

"You had a really, really big fall," the brunette stated excitedly. "Ludwig found you in a collapsed house!"

"What?" Gilbert muttered.

"I don't understand it much either," Ludwig stated. "I was hoping you could tell me."

Suddenly, a loud ringing of some obnoxious song blared and the brunette pulled out a phone. Ludwig glared at him, but he was blissfully unaware and he answered it.

"Ciao~!" the brunette said happily and listened to the other end of the conversation. "Oh, really? … That's not good. … Si, I'm talking to Ludwig about it now, but Gilbert woke up. … Not a lot, apparently he doesn't even remember being a girl!" Gilbert blinked. Was he talking about him? "Okay, just hold the armies for a little longer. I still have to talk to fratello about it."

"What?" Gilbert asked as the brunette hung up.

"Well-"

"Feli," Ludwig cut off the brunette. "Don't say anything."

"But, shouldn't he know?" Feli whined.

"What was the call about?" Ludwig asked, moving towards the door as if to move the conversation away from Gilbert.

"There's been some stuff going on in America-Canada," Feli stated, walking with Ludwig, who opened the door. Gilbert raised an eyebrow. For the only people around when he woke up, they didn't seem to care that much at all. "And there's apparently a lot going on with Prince Matthew, too." That was the last thing Gilbert heard before the door closed.

Just hearing the name made everything click and Gilbert remembered.

"Birdie!" Gilbert yelled out and sat up, but pain seared through his entire body and he let out a yell of pain. His head pounded, his ribs seemed like they were made of fire, and his arms and legs pulsed in pain. Immediately, Ludwig and Feli returned.

"You shouldn't be sitting up," Ludwig stated and tried to push Gilbert back to lie down. "Lie down."

"Nein," Gilbert snapped. "I-I remember now und I have to go."

"You shouldn't move," Ludwig pressed.

"I have to get to America-Canada now!" Gilbert argued.

"What do you expect to accomplish like this?!" Ludwig snapped. "You can't even stand, let alone do anything worth-while." With that, Ludwig was able to push Gilbert back down, into a lying position once again.

"How long have I been out?" Gilbert asked.

"Several weeks," Ludwig stated.

"Weeks?!" Gilbert gaped and tried once again to get up, but Ludwig forced him back down.

"You should count yourself lucky to be alive," Ludwig stated. "Rather than concern yourself with something you can do nothing about, you should think about what you can do right now."

"Like what?" Gilbert snapped. "Sit and heal?"

"You could try remembering your brother," Feli shrugged behind Ludwig.

"I don't have a bruder," Gilbert shook his head.

"Oh, you do!" Feli said happily. "It's-"

"Something that can be dealt with later," Ludwig glared at him.

"Wait a second, I know you two," Gilbert blinked. He couldn't believe hadn't noticed it sooner. "You're the King of Germany and a Prince of Italy."

"Si!" Prince Feliciano nodded happily and Ludwig let out a sigh.

"What the hell do you want from me?" Gilbert demanded.

"That is complicated," Ludwig stated.

"Apparently I have a lot of time on my hands right now," Gilbert stated. "Start explaining."

"After you explain what happened before you fell from the sky," Ludwig stated. "Is there a reason you were masquerading as a woman under my family name?"

"I will only explain that when I know I am on my way back," Gilbert stated, staring defiantly into his eyes.

"Wow, you guys get along worse than fratello and Antonio," Prince Feliciano muttered.

"We are getting nowhere here," Ludwig sighed, shaking his head and turning towards the door. "A doctor will be in shortly to check how you are healing."

"Danke for all your help," Gilbert muttered sarcastically.

"But, don't you want to tell him?" Prince Feliciano deflated slightly.

"Nein," Ludwig shook his head.

"But I think he should know," Prince Feliciano stated. "Haven't you missed him?"

"I don't think he's capable of missing anyone," Gilbert smirked.

"He wants to keep his secrets, and we will keep ours," Ludwig stated.

"Looks like our King is cranky," Gilbert teased and Ludwig sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Come on, Feli, we're leaving," Ludwig sighed.

"Aw, getting impatient, are we?" Gilbert smirked. For some reason, it didn't feel weird at all to tease a King. He couldn't really stop himself and they apparently wanted him for something, so it wasn't too big of a deal. Besides, how often do you get a chance like this to make fun of a King?

"Feli," Ludwig practically growled and Prince Feliciano jumped.

"Okay," he squeaked and followed Ludwig out of the door, which was left slightly ajar.

Being left alone, all Gilbert could think about Matthew and what could possibly be happening with Francis in charge. Even as the doctor had come in, he was distracted. Though, he did notice that he spoke a lot of German. Could that mean he was in Germany? How did Francis get him all the way here? And how the hell did he not die?

Evidently, it was pretty close. He had never been in a hospital before, but he was in an insanely nice room with a lot of care being taken to him. The German medical technology was amazing, too. They had this weird numbing spray that made all of the pain go away and these machines that were helping to set the bones. Gilbert was told that he was getting pretty close to getting fully healed.

* * *

After a couple of days, Gilbert was going insane from not being able to move. He'd actually tried multiple times, possibly find some sort of TV to find news on America-Canada, or more importantly Matthew, but that had only gotten him small restraints on his wrists connecting him to the short railings on the bed.

However, he did eventually get some action. At some point, a random girl was running down the hallways and poked her head into Gilbert's room. She made a squeal that hurt Gilbert's ears before kneeling down and then rushing to his side. She was speaking German, something Gilbert didn't understand, but he did hear his name.

"Great, a crazy fangirl," Gilbert muttered.

Shortly after, a slightly older boy came rushing in with really white hair. Gilbert couldn't help but wonder if that's what it felt like to see someone come out of nowhere with white hair as the boy knelt down, too and then started speaking some more German.

"And a fanboy," Gilbert sighed.

The two continued to speak quickly and excitedly, but Gilbert had absolutely no idea what they were saying. There were a few words here and there, but not enough to get what they were saying. Eventually, Ludwig came in, yelling something at the two, who froze and knelt down to him as well.

"Well, hey," Gilbert nodded to him.

Ludwig let out a sigh and said something else in German. The two scrambled to their feet and out the door.

"How the hell did they get in?" Ludwig sighed, rubbing at his head.

"So, mind telling me why I have a fan club?" Gilbert asked.

"I was hoping we would have more time," Ludwig sighed, stepping in further into the room, "but, it seems we can't avoid it."

"Well, I have nowhere to go," Gilbert shrugged.

"Why do you have restraints?" Ludwig asked.

"I kept trying to get up," Gilbert said simply. "Guess they got tired of telling me 'no'."

"Fine," Ludwig sighed and took a chair from a part of the room and sat down at the foot of the bed. "As you should know, several years ago, a Prince of Germany was kidnapped then lost in New York City. You do not seem to remember, which I understand. The Prince is an albino by the name Gilbert. When he was lost, he was 5, and as of today, he would be 23 years old."

Gilbert finally dropped his smirk. His earliest memory was when he knew he was 5 and he was scared and alone. All he really knew was his name and his birthday was subconsciously in his mind.

"So you're saying I'm the…Lost Prince?" Gilbert asked.

"We did a blood test in comparison to my own blood," Ludwig stated. "It was a match."

"And you didn't fucking tell me this sooner?" Gilbert snapped. He was a Prince…probably supposed to be a King by now, and he didn't lead with that when Gilbert woke up from falling from America-Canada onto Germany? "How exactly did I manage to avoid being found for 18 years with royal armies looking for me? I kind of stick out a lot."

"Your kidnapper informed us that he had killed you," Ludwig muttered, looking down slightly. "This led to the American-Canadian armies to stop their search. And the German armies were given limited access to search for you, even though we were sure he was lying. Many people believed you were still alive. The Royalty of the world was sure the man wouldn't kill you, but America-Canada will not do something like a city-wide search without the city's consent. They did not get it."

The room was silent for a while as Gilbert tried to soak in the idea of actually being a freaking Prince of Germany. It was actually making a lot of sense, now that he thought about it. A kid growing up on the streets with no family and hardly any memory was pretty strange.

"So I guess I'm just a lot more awesome than I thought," Gilbert couldn't help but let out a laugh. "And that also means that I, the older bruder, have license to mess with you, the younger bruder, who just happens to also be the King of Germany." Gilbert was laughing even harder now and Ludwig simply sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You were just told you are the Lost Prince and you have a family I'm sure you didn't even know about and that is all you have to say?" Ludwig asked.

"Ja, ja, we can get to the sentimental shieβe later and maybe hug, if I wasn't tied to this bed," Gilbert shrugged as best as he could. "I do have one question though. When can I get the hell out of here so I can get to America-Canada?"

* * *

**So I noticed that I never placed their ages… So I'm gonna do that right now! Gilbert-23, Matthew-19, Alfred-20, Ludwig-18, Feliciano-17, Francis-40, Elizaveta-24 Arthur-Let's go with 3,000ish… I would have them be a little younger, but ruling countries requires a person to be at least 18. Ludwig was kind of forced into being a King because of his dad dying(more on that later) and no one to help him out. He had to do it right when he turned 18. Mattie and Alfred, on the other hand, have each other, so they've been allowed to procrastinate in making one of them a king. And Francis is the oldest because he's been the advisor for a previous generation of royalty. And Arthur gets to be old as fuck because he's a genie.**

**Anyway, back to plot, I would imagine that Gilbert would think of something like that to say if he was told he was a rightful King. I'm sure it does nothing for his self-esteem, especially with a fanclub. **

**Please review!**


	15. Assassinate

Chapter 15. Assassinate.

"When can I get the hell out of here so I can get to America-Canada?"

"Why do you want to leave so badly?" Ludwig asked.

"I have sheiβe to do, alright?" Gilbert sighed. "I already told you that I'm not saying anything about what happened there until I know I'm on my way back."

"Then you can leave when you can stand without hurting yourself," Ludwig sighed, standing up. "I don't want you to rush yourself, though I'm sure you will."

"I have to get back there," Gilbert stated. Just thinking about what could be happening to Matthew was driving him crazy enough to try to see if he could stand right now.

"Would this have anything to do with that Birdie you yelled about?" Ludwig asked.

"Possibly," Gilbert stated.

"Ludwig!" Feliciano came running in and latched onto Ludwig's arm as if his life depended on it.

"Ja, Feli?" Ludwig sighed, but surprisingly didn't fight against it.

"Fratello said that Grandpa is planning on attacking America-Canada," Feliciano wailed. "I don't want him to!"

"Attack?" Gilbert sat up slightly, receiving a lot of pain in his ribs, and his arms pulled against the restraints slightly.

"Why?" Ludwig asked.

"Well, the scary guy did say that he planned on starting to attack other places," Feliciano muttered. "And he said his first target would be Spain's Territory, Mexico. So Grandpa is hoping to stop him before he can do that."

"So they plan to send in the Italian military?" Gilbert demanded.

"The Allied European Nations have been discussing what to do," Ludwig sighed. "I was hoping they wouldn't resort to this."

"How many people are gonna die when the Italian military storms through New York City?" Gilbert groaned. "All over one stupid guy…"

"I told Grandpa that he shouldn't do it!" Prince Feliciano yelled. "There's a lot of innocent people in America-Canada that are just being held against their will! But, he said that if there's a chance that someone could start a rampage like that, we have to stop it."

"It's just one guy, right?" Gilbert asked. "That's all everyone's after is Francis?"

"Si," Feliciano nodded, tilting his head slightly to the side like he was confused.

"Then all that should have to happen is an assassination," Gilbert stated. "Just send in a couple people and get the job done."

"It wouldn't work," Ludwig stated. "The security on that city was tight even before this happened. He has control over the entire country and wants to keep it that way. There is no way to get in without brute force."

"And what if I happen to know a secret passage?" Gilbert asked. He still remembered where that man from the dungeon had taken him through. He must have figured he would kill Gilbert after he got what he wanted, so he didn't care showing it to him.

"You do?" Ludwig asked and Feliciano smiled slightly.

"I've lived in the city alone for 18 years," Gilbert stated. "I'm gonna know my way around pretty well."

"Which means you would have to go," Ludwig sighed.

"But, I don't think you're done recovering yet," Feliciano muttered.

"Luddie said I can leave when I can stand without hurting myself," Gilbert smirked and Ludwig gave him an odd look for the nickname. "I can think of a way to do that in a couple of days."

"Feli and I will conference with the AEN," Ludwig sighed, bringing Feliciano to the door. "We will see if we can get your plan approved."

"Awesome," Gilbert shrugged. After they left, he tested his arms and legs slightly, only receiving some slight pain. Eventually, a doctor came in to check him over and do some more healing or whatever, but Gilbert had other plans.

"Hey, mind taking these restraints off?" Gilbert asked him.

* * *

"Gilbert?" Ludwig came back into the room after about an hour. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready," Gilbert shrugged. He was sitting on top of the bed, gauze and bandages wrapping his head, legs and one of his arms. He was nearly finished wrapping his other arm. There was also gauze around his torso and ribs, but that was under a shirt. He had also asked for clothes from the nurses who came to assist him. They couldn't deny him, since he was the "rightful King" and so now he was in a T-shirt and baggy shorts with tennis shoes on. Though they were rather simple, they were still royal quality, so they felt amazing.

"What makes you think that you will actually be going?" Ludwig asked him.

"Well, you were gone for a while," Gilbert stated. "So that means you were fighting for me for a while, which means they were actually considering it. And I figured that, even if my idea was shut down, I'd be going in anyway. I couldn't let them hurt Birdie."

"Luckily for you, your plan was actually approved," Ludwig sighed. "Only if we would set out today."

"Gut," Gilbert shrugged, finishing off the last bit around his hand. He tried clenching his fist and it only hurt slightly, so that was a good sign. "Then we can leave now."

"Why are you wearing that?" Ludwig asked.

"Well, the baggy shirt is because it's awesome," Gilbert shrugged. "The shorts are because I just got my dick back and I'm giving it room to breathe. And these shoes are awesome, too." Gilbert quickly moved to get off the bed, but his legs buckled beneath him and Ludwig had to catch him.

"You are an idiot," Ludwig sighed. "You shouldn't just try to stand on your own after what has happened to you."

"I can practice standing on our way," Gilbert shrugged. "So, are we going?"

"You can barely stand," Ludwig stated.

"Ja," Gilbert said and moved away from Ludwig slightly, standing a little wobbly on his own. "But that implies that I can stand."

"Feli will be going with us," Ludwig stated and Gilbert smiled. That meant he would be going. "His grandfather barely allowed it, but he will be supplying us with guns. I will be there to assist you so you don't overdo it and I can help if your injuries get worse. You will be guiding us. And explaining yourself on our way there."

"Awesome," Gilbert grinned. "One thing before we head out, though." Before Ludwig could move, Gilbert pulled him into a hug. It sucked that his little brother was a lot bigger than him, but he just had to deal with it. "Told you we'd have our brotherly makeup moment sometime," Gilbert smiled as he pulled back. "And I've still got 18 years to make up for." Gilbert patted his shoulder before moving to try to walk, but his knees crumpled again and Ludwig had to catch him. Again.

"You should move slower," Ludwig sighed.

"Sure," Gilbert winced at the pain coursing through his legs, but he worked to ignore it as Ludwig sighed and made Gilbert's arm wrap around his shoulder and they started walking together. "So we are leaving now."

"I'm sure you would have had me carry you onto the plane if you couldn't walk," Ludwig sighed, but a small semblance of a smile was making its way onto his face.

"Glad you understand," Gilbert laughed. His legs really hurt as they made their way down the insanely clean hallway and to an elevator. "So, let me guess, we've got a private jet or something waiting in the parking lot."

"Nein," Ludwig sighed as the elevator doors open and they stepped inside. Gilbert leaned against the back wall. Not just his legs were hurting, but if Ludwig was actually letting him move around, it meant that his injuries probably wouldn't get worse. Though his pounding head was slowly becoming an issue. "We will take a car to where the plane will be."

"So is it just us three?" Gilbert asked.

"The smaller the team, the better," Ludwig stated and pressed the button to where Gilbert suspected the lobby was. "Und we are only bringing the best. Feli may not look like much, but he is an amazing shot and knows guns better than anyone I know. I have also been studying the medical field in hopes to advance it further. There is also our pilot, who is quite possibly the best in Europe at our disposal."

"And I'm the only one outside of America-Canada that knows the streets of New York City," Gilbert smirked. "Funny how the royalty turn out to be the best of the best."

"If there is the slightest risk that any of us could get hurt," Ludwig warned. "We will be stepping out."

"We're going to assassinate a man with a genie," Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "Who happened to throw me halfway across the world. There's more than a slight risk."

"A genie?" Ludwig asked.

"Don't worry, Brows is a part of my story, too," Gilbert stated and the elevator doors opened. The first thing Gilbert noticed was the glass wall that was the entrance directly across from them. There was a massive crowd outside, with the majority of them having white hair and signs. The second people started seeing him, they all started cheering and screaming. "Holy scheiβe…"

"You have been gone for quite a long time," Ludwig stated, getting Gilbert's arm around his shoulders again and they started walking. "Now that the news is out that you are back, everyone is dying to see you."

"Well, now I don't feel special," Gilbert couldn't help but laugh. "Everyone's got white hair."

"It's dye," Ludwig chuckled. As they got nearer to the door, Gilbert could see that there was a path leading to a car just outside and multiple guards trying to keep the crowd at bay.

"So, let me get this straight," Gilbert stated. "When we get out there, they're all gonna go crazy, right?"

"Ja," Ludwig nodded.

"Awesome," Gilbert grinned and the door was opened for them. The sunlight was really bright on Gilbert's eyes, so he had to shield them slightly with his hand, but that quickly made his arm ache. He blinked a couple times to adjust and his ears were assaulted by the sound of people cheering for him.

He couldn't help but laugh. This was quite a welcome change from his time in New York. He used his free arm to wave happily at people, who feverishly waved back. He even winked at a girl, who he could have sworn had fainted. He was a freaking celebrity here. It was awesome.

"Stop showing off and get in the car," Ludwig sighed and Gilbert noticed for the first time that he was in front of a car with the door open. Gilbert laughed even harder and sat down on the comfortable seat, the door slammed shut next to him, shutting out the noise until Ludwig opened his own door.

"Come on, Luddie, they love me," Gilbert smirked and found the button that rolled the window down and waved some more to his fans. Ludwig slammed his own door shut.

"This makes me wonder if this was a smart idea to do with your self-esteem," Ludwig sighed as the car started moving and the driver closed the window, making Gilbert sit down.

"Oh, definitely not," Gilbert laughed. "I'm just so awesome, they can't take it."

"Right," Ludwig shook his head. Gilbert could barely see out of the really tinted window, but he could tell that there were even more people lining the streets.

"Birdie was right, these windows suck," Gilbert grumbled and chose to lean back in the seat, his aching body thanking him for the moment of relaxing.

"Are you sure you are ready for something like this?" Ludwig asked.

"Even if I'm not, I'm still going," Gilbert stated, glancing over at him. "I have to try to help Birdie."

"Do not over-exert yourself," Ludwig sighed.

Soon enough, the car stopped and Ludwig got out. Gilbert would have opened his own door, but his body apparently really wasn't in the mood for it and so he had to wait for Ludwig to help him out and go towards the jet waiting in some abandoned field.

"Wow, couldn't get an airport, huh?" Gilbert laughed, trying to ignore the searing pain in his limbs.

"We are in a hurry," Ludwig stated as they reached the bottom of the stairs that led to the door, where Prince Feliciano was waiting, waving happily at them. Gilbert couldn't help but notice the guns holstered at his sides.

"He really doesn't look like I should trust him with a gun," Gilbert smirked as they slowly made their way up the stairs.

"He doesn't look it, I know," Ludwig stated and they finally reached the top.

"Hi, Gilbert!"Feliciano cheered happily.

"Hey," Gilbert nodded to him, his body aching extremely bad.

"It's great to see you walking after so long of not moving," Feliciano stated as they made their way inside. The interior was pretty nice, actually, with a couch on one side and a few arm chairs and a table on the other. It was obviously meant for just a few people. There was a back that had two doors, one to the bathroom and one to the kitchen. And the front had a door to the cockpit.

"Thanks?" Gilbert happily sunk into the couch.

"Here, this may help with pain," Ludwig sighed and pulled out some of that numbing spray that the doctors used. He sprayed the skin that Gilbert had exposed and then handed him this weird, small, square-shaped pill.

"A pill?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

"Take it," Ludwig stated.

"Dry?" Gilbert smirked. "What do you take me for? A peasant?"

"Shut up and take it," Ludwig glared at him.

"Whatever," Gilbert laughed and easily swallowed the pill.

One other person came in that Gilbert paid no mind to and they made it into the cockpit, probably to fly this thing.

"You forgot to tell me more about the pilot," Gilbert smirked.

"Oh, don't worry, Antonio's the best pilot I know!" Feliciano nodded happily. The door into the plane closed and they already started moving.

"So, Gilbert," Ludwig stated, moving to sit at one of the arm chairs and Prince Feliciano followed him, "you said you would explain yourself on our way. Start explaining."

* * *

**Translations:  
Holy shieβe-Holy shit**

**I'm sure the raving fans did nothing to improve Gilbert's humility. And now that he's a King, I'm sure his self-esteem is through the roof, but at least Matthew is keeping him humble. Without even being there! And they're on their way to save them!**

**Also, my Allied European Nations(AEN) are kind of like a planning committee. They aren't exactly allies, but when there's a problem that could affect a lot of people, be that their own countries or not, they band together to think of a plan of action to take. Countries like Italy, Germany, England, Spain, Switzerland, and France are in it. Obviously, if some strange dude came out and claimed control of the most influential country in the world and started threatening their little semblance of peace, they're gonna do something. In go the Italian armies! (It's hard to think about Italy being a military power…or Feli with lots and lots of guns. Which he did bring on their awesome little journey.)**

**Anyway, I've talked enough for now, so please review!**


	16. The Truth

Chapter 16. The Truth.

"Alright, alright," Gilbert sighed, starting to really like that numbing spray as it was making him relax more. "You're really hung up on my story, aren't you?"

"The world saw you turn from a girl into the lost Prince of Germany," Ludwig stated. "I am sure everyone would want to know this story."

"Alright, well just make sure you're ready for the pure awesomeness of this story," Gilbert stretched slightly.

"I'm really excited for this, too," Prince Feliciano clapped in his hands together.

"Be quiet, Feli," Ludwig sighed.

"Okay, so one day I'm being my regular awesomeness," Gilbert started. "Eating a Pop-Tart or some shit with my bird and there's this kid being yelled at by a vendor on the street. So, I decide to be awesome and I go and save him."

"Why do you use the word awesome so much?" Feliciano asked.

"'Cause I'm awesome," Gilbert shrugged. "Anyway, he was the first one that didn't run away from me. I was a bit of a freak, since most people find white hair and red eyes to be some creepy ass shit, apparently. Anyway, I brought the kid to my awesome hideout in an abandoned building and started calling him Birdie. I took him on a tour of New York City, since he said he hadn't seen much. And, since I'm awesome, we decided to building hop and we got this great view of the city. And…uh…at this point I realized I…kinda liked him. A lot."

"Aw!" Feliciano cheered. "That's so cute!"

"Feli, be quiet," Ludwig stated.

"And then the Royal Captain of the Guard came up and I was arrested," Gilbert continued. "For kidnapping Prince Matthew of America-Canada."

"Birdie was Matthew?" Feliciano gasped.

"Feli," Ludwig stated and Prince Feliciano quieted down.

"Ja," Gilbert nodded. "So then I'm in a dungeon. Why the hell are there even dungeons now anyway?"

"They have an old castle," Ludwig stated.

"Anyway, this creepy dude showed up out of nowhere," Gilbert continued. "Und he told me to help him get into this cave. And that's how I know the secret passageways. So we got to this cave and apparently I'm the only one who can get inside it. Inside, I find this empty bottle rum, something the guy wanted. But when I came outside to bring it out, the cave started falling down. And then I was trapped, which was really not awesome. Then I tried to rub off some dirt on that bottle and a genie popped out."

"Wow! You had a genie?" Feliciano gaped.

"Hell yeah," Gilbert said proudly before Ludwig could tell Feliciano to shut up again. "And, since I'm awesome, I was able to trick him into getting me out of the cave without making a wish. Then, I made a promise to him to use my third wish to set him free because being a genie sucks, apparently. And so, after that, I started thinking about some way to see Birdie again and I came up with the idea of turning myself into a Princess."

"Why didn't you just wish to pretend to be a Princess?" Feliciano tilted his head to the side.

"Because I'm a lovesick fucking idiot," Gilbert stated. "Anyway, so I went with the next wave of obnoxious female royalty and went through all their steps because they're really protective of Birdie. Once I finally got to him, we hit it off and had an awesome date, where he almost found me out, but I made my way out of it by lying. Und then I got kidnapped and thrown into a burning building so Francis could try to kill me."

"Oh, no!" Feliciano gasped.

"Ja, that's exactly what I was thinking," Gilbert laughed. "To save me, Arthur, my genie, used my second wish to get me out. Und when we got back to the castle, Francis was trying to get Birdie to marry him for some reason I don't know, but then we kicked his ass and he disappeared. But apparently he knew my secret the entire time and knew who I was. I mean, he called me Gilbert. He's an ass. Und, since Prince Alfred's an idiot, he let it slip that there would be a wedding soon."

"But you were still a girl, right?" Feliciano muttered.

"Ja," Gilbert nodded. "At this point, I was kinda worried, because I said that I was a Beilschmidt and it's an obvious fact you don't have a sister. At least I hope we don't have a sister because that would be totally un-awesome. Anyway, the next day was the announcement. Und you know what happened there. I got turned back into a guy, forced to lie to Birdie and say that I was just tricking him, and then tossed all the way to Germany where I almost died."

"That story is very hard to believe," Ludwig stated. "I wouldn't beieve if I hadn't seen you turn from a girl to a boy."

"I wouldn't believe myself," Gilbert cackled. "Just saying it makes me sound like I'm insane."

"So, you had to lie to Birdie and say you tricked him?" Feliciano frowned sadly.

"Why do you think I'm in such a hurry to get back?" Gilbert smiled slightly.

"You are in love with Prince Matthew?" Ludwig asked.

"Ja," Gilbert nodded. "Right now, I'm pretty sure he hates me, but I still want to make sure he's safe."

"That's so sweet," Feliciano chimed. "I really like someone right now but I'm not sure how they feel about me. Which is weird, because usually, I have no problem talking to girls. But I guess this is different but he's…whoops!" He bit his lip and turned towards the window. Gilbert noticed that they were already up in the sky after his long story.

Gilbert raised an eyebrow, but Ludwig seemed perfectly unaffected as usual.

"What about you, Luddie?" Gilbert smirked. "Got anybody special?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ludwig asked.

"Oh, nothing," Gilbert propped his feet up onto the sofa and allowed himself to relax.

"You should rest," Ludwig stated. "There will be a lot of walking once we get there."

"You got any more of those pills and spray?" Gilbert asked.

"Ja," Ludwig stated.

"Then I'm perfectly fine," Gilbert shrugged, but let out a yawn. "A rest wouldn't be too bad, though."

"A siesta is always a good idea!" Feliciano cheered. "I should take one, too!"

"Don't do anything while I'm out," Gilbert laughed and closed his eyes. Surprisingly, it didn't take long before he was passed out.

* * *

_Gilbert was smaller. That was the first thing he noticed. And he was in some car that showed they were driving through a city during the day. Next to him was a person he recognized as his mother and baby brother. They were having a fun time, laughing and smiling. Gilbert wanted to stay there forever._

_Suddenly, the car came to a screeching halt. There was a loud commotion outside the car and Gilbert went to go nearer to his mother, but the door opened up and someone grabbed onto Gilbert's arm, yanking him out of the car. He didn't have a chance to see who grabbed him as he was quickly lifted off the ground by the back of his shirt and something sharp was pressed against his neck._

_Gilbert could see someone he recognized as his father. He had a gun pointed at the guy holding Gilbert up, but when the sharp object pierced Gilbert's skin, making him let out a sound of pain, his father dropped the gun. There was a lot of talking going on, but Gilbert could hardly hear it. It was a soft babble that he couldn't hear no matter how hard he tried._

_The man started walking and Gilbert's father looked a mixture of angry and sad. Gilbert knew he called out to him, but he couldn't even hear himself. He tried kicking and punching at the man, but the sharp object just went further into his neck. Gilbert didn't know what to do, so he started crying. He couldn't stop himself, he was just scared._

_The man brought him into some abandoned building and made his way to the top. It was fairly tall, at least ten stories, and it was really windy as they made their way to the top. The man said something that Gilbert couldn't hear, but he still knew more-or-less what he had said. It was something along the line of not being directly responsible._

_They neared the edge of the building and Gilbert tried once again to fight against this guy. Suddenly, he was dropped, just away from the edge of the building and he scrambled away from the edge. He looked up at the man, but he was a bit of a blur. All Gilbert could remember was blonde hair. But a little yellow bird was pecking at his face. Gilbert held onto the front of his neck, trembling when he saw the blood on his hand._

_He quickly managed to get onto his shaky feet and managed to think to run. There was a door nearby that he ran to, hoping to get away from this man. But he was swiftly picked up again, this time by his hair, and he screamed. But the man placed a hand over his mouth so it sounded like nothing. He was brought over the edge of the building, hanging just by his hair._

_And then the man said the one sentence Gilbert could hear this whole time._

"_You are the one that will destroy my power. Die."_

_And he was dropped. Gilbert screamed again, but this time it could he heard, though no one was around. He landed roughly on something rather soft and there was a tweeting above him. He looked around and found himself barely on a windowsill that had some kind of bird's nest on it. Above him was the little yellow bird from earlier, tweeting to him. The window next to Gilbert was open, so he quickly scrambled inside and fell onto the floor. He curled up right there and started crying._

_He wanted to call out to his mother and father, but he was terrified of that man finding him again, so he sat in silence, the bird his only company. Eventually, he fell asleep, in the dark and cold of the night. Gilbert knew he had nightmares. But when he woke up, he had no idea where he was. Or who he was._

* * *

Gilbert bolted upright sucking in air quickly. His ribs and head hurt, but he could ignore that for now…Was that a memory or something?

"Gilbert?" Ludwig asked worriedly and stood up from his armchair to walk next to him. "What's wrong?"

"The man that kidnapped me," Gilbert muttered. "Was he blonde?"

"Ja, that's what I've been told," Ludwig stated.

"What happened to him?" Gilbert asked.

"He had his face covered when he kidnapped you," Ludwig sighed. "There was no way to tell who he was. He made a video he sent to our parents that said you were dead. They still haven't found him."

"How did he say he killed me?" Gilbert asked.

"What is this coming from?" Ludwig asked.

"A dream," Gilbert sighed. "Just tell me." The dream was already starting to fade from his memory, like all of his others. He tried to keep the building in his mind.

"He didn't say," Ludwig shook his head. And the dream was gone. Gilbert gritted his teeth and cursed himself, trying to remember at least some of it.

"Verdammt!" Gilbert groaned, holding onto his head.

"Did you forget your dream?" Feliciano asked.

"It always happens," Gilbert muttered. "I know this one was important, though."

"I always hate it when I can't remember my dreams," a new voice mused and Gilbert turned to see a brunette with bright green eyes leaning against the door that went into the cockpit. He was dressed in simple jeans and a dark red dress shirt and tennis shoes.

Gilbert blinked. That was Antonio: King of Spain…

"Oh, my name is Antonio, by the way!" the brunette chimed happily.

"Why are you not flying the plane?" Ludwig turned to him.

"Oh, right," King Antonio laughed slightly. "We are going to crash."

* * *

**Feli entertained me during Gilbert's story. I can just imagine him on the edge of his seat, imagining everything. And that dream was a surpressed memory. Obviously, at five, that was pretty terrifying, so his mind surpressed that. I like to think Gil dreams of his life as a Prince sometimes, but he never remembers it because he knows he doesn't want to. Oh, and that bird was definitely Gilbird, who saved his life twice. An Antonio has officially been introduced! I'd have to say his age is...21.**

**Alright, I'm done talking, so please review!**


	17. Crash Land

Chapter 17. Crash Land.

"Why the hell didn't you say that sooner?!" Ludwig snapped at him.

"Oh, it's no big deal right now," Antonio said happily. "American-Canadian technology found us sooner than I thought it would. They've taken control of our plane. My guess is that if that guy is in charge, we are going to crash so that he can kill us."

"So, what now?" Gilbert asked.

"There are parachutes we could use to get out, but then they would start looking for us," Ludwig muttered.

"And there's the ocean, too," Antonio rubbed the back of his head. "But, if they want us dead, they'll definitely crash it into the ground. Their range of control is not far enough into the ocean to get us killed out there."

"Wh-What are we gonna do…?" Feliciano muttered. "Should we send them a white flag?"

"You and Lovi confuse me so much," Antonio shook his head. "You're Italian, but you use white flags."

"So, you're sure we're gonna crash?" Gilbert asked.

"Either that or they're gonna take us hostage," Antonio shrugged. "I don't know which one I want to happen more…"

"I'd have to say the crash," Gilbert laughed. He had a feeling he would like this guy. "Francy pants isn't the best person be hostage to."

"How are you two so calm about this?" Ludwig sighed. "We could die very soon."

"He's tried to kill me twice now," Gilbert laughed. "He's not getting very good at it. We'll think of something."

"If I had been just a few minutes slower, you would have been dead," Ludwig rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "You fell from the sky."

"Oh, yeah, I've been meaning to ask," Antonio said. "What was it like being a girl?"

"It fucking sucks," Gilbert stretched slightly. "If you get a genie, wish for something better."

"You had a genie?" Antonio gaped.

"Enough," Ludwig snapped. "We will talk about this when our lives are not at risk."

"Party pooper," Gilbert muttered under his breath and Antonio laughed.

"So, what should we do?" Feliciano asked.

"There is no way to regain control of the plane?" Ludwig asked Antonio.

"I tried," Antonio shrugged. "And our communications are down, so we can't call anyone."

"I got an idea," Gilbert shrugged. "I'll need Toni, though."

"Um, sure," Antonio shrugged and Gilbert slowly got to his feet and tested to make sure that he wouldn't be in too much pain. Then he quickly made his way into the cockpit and knelt down near where all of the lights and switches were. "What are you gonna do?"

"Well, I've hacked into a lot of things before," Gilbert shrugged. "What makes a plane any different? Tell me where the autopilot is."

"It is just to the right of the chair," Antonio stated. "What do you think you'll do?"

"Rip some sheiβe up," Gilbert stated, trying to figure out how he would get into this thing. "Hey, Feli, you got a knife on you?"

"Si," Feliciano stated.

"Hand it over," Gilbert held his hand up and slightly behind himself.

"Why?" Feliciano asked.

"Do we have time to ask questions?" Gilbert asked and the felt the handle press into his hand and he quickly thrust the knife into the metal and began making a cut.

"Maybe I should tell you what you can't cut," Antonio stated, kneeling down next to him.

"Probably a good idea," Gilbert stated, tossing away the cut out section of metal. There was a massive array of wires of all kinds of colors snaking their way around. "Just tell me what I can cut."

"Um, I know the green ones are good," Antonio muttered and Gilbert started cutting. "That black one. The pink one. Make sure you don't go anywhere near that blue one." Gilbert continued cutting when suddenly, the plane shook and started falling. Antonio quickly hopped into the pilot's seat and pulled up on the steering-wheel thing. Luckily, it actually worked.

"So they were only controlling the auto-pilot?" Ludwig asked.

"I guess that was the easiest way to take control of this thing," Antonio shrugged. "We should land quickly so they don't try again."

"Which means we sit down," Ludwig sighed.

"Fine," Gilbert quickly stood up. "Have fun flying," he chimed as he left the cockpit.

"How many things have you broken like that?" Ludwig asked.

"Way too many to count," Gilbert laughed. "But I'm just so awesome, I never get caught."

"Ja, ja, sit down," Ludwig sighed, motioning to one of the armchairs.

"Sure," Gilbert shrugged and Feliciano sat down in the other armchair. "Knife," he handed Feliciano back his knife.

"Oh, grazie!" Feliciano took back the knife and happily tucked it into his shoe.

"How many weapons do you have, out of curiosity?" Gilbert asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hm…" Feliciano muttered as the two buckled into their seats and the plane started declining and shaking. "I have the two in my holsters, the two on my back, the one in my pants, and then I have a rifle in the back. Then I have my mini pistol in my shoe."

"Holy sheiβe," Gilbert laughed. "How many guns do you need?"

"I actually packed lightly," Feliciano tilted his head to the side.

"And why did you want to use a white flag?" Gilbert asked.

"I don't like to shoot," Feliciano shrugged. "But if I have to, I guess I will…"

"Do not bother trying to understand," Ludwig sighed. "I gave that up a while ago."

"So, why aren't you buckled up all safe like?" Gilbert asked.

"The only seats with restraints are those two," Ludwig stated and the turbulence started getting worse. "You are still injured und Feli is…Feli."

"How sweet," Gilbert smirked and he could see Feliciano blush slightly with a smile. "Just try not to hurt your head."

"Danke," Ludwig sighed, holding onto the only secure looking part of the couch.

"If I wasn't injured, I would so be in your place," Gilbert crossed his arms over his chest.

"I am sure you would be," Ludwig stated and the turbulence got even worse. It was causing Gilbert's head to spin and throb. His ribs also began to ache as well.

"Hey, I'm awesome," Gilbert laughed. "Of course I could make my little bruder sit in a chair."

"I am sure you could," Ludwig sighed.

The plane suddenly jolted and Gilbert was forced forward, sending a piercing pain through his side. The plane continued to jostle and make quite a bit of noise, so Gilbert assumed they were landing. He had no way of knowing; he had never been in one before. They started slowing down slowly and Gilbert tried to get his thoughts together, away from the pain.

Ludwig had apparently lost his grip and was leaning against the wall near the exit, looking slightly disoriented. Feliciano seemed perfectly fine.

"Got another one of those pills?" Gilbert asked, trying to ignore the pain in his head and ribs, but it wasn't working.

"Ja," Ludwig muttered, coming to his senses quickly. Before long, it appeared that they had stopped and Antonio came out of the cockpit.

"Sorry that was a little bumpy," Antonio chuckled. "Gil cut a few too many wires."

"Technically, you never told me to stop," Gilbert shrugged, but he held onto his head.

"We should get out of here now," Ludwig stated, standing up and opening the door.

"Let me get my rifle first," Feliciano stated, easily getting out of his seat and running to the back.

"I'm gonna need that pill sooner or later," Gilbert muttered and quickly figured out how to get out of the seat and quickly made his way to Ludwig, his legs already starting to hurt.

"Here," Ludwig sighed, handing him one of the square pills and Gilbert easily swallowed it. Ludwig easily jumped down to the ground and Antonio followed him. Gilbert gritted his teeth and jumped down. He quickly found that his legs couldn't hold him, so he knelt down, pressing his hands into the ground.

"Gott," Gilbert muttered.

Beside him, Feliciano easily landed, kneeling down to the ground slightly. "Got it," he cheered happily, holding the rifle in his arms. Gilbert finally looked around where they were and found a grassland all around them. It didn't look like there was any place for them to hide…

"Gilbert, are you alright to continue?" Ludwig asked.

"Ja, I'm fine," Gilbert muttered, slowly standing up. But his legs quickly gave out and Ludwig had to help him stay standing.

"Are you sure?" Ludwig asked.

"I'm awesome," Gilbert smirked. "It takes a lot more than this to get me to stop trying."

"How far away are we from New York?" Ludwig asked.

"Three miles," Antonio said. "I tried to get us close, but also pretty far."

"We're just as far away as the cave was," Gilbert muttered.

"We should get going, then, before they come to investigate," Ludwig stated, helping Gilbert get an arm around his shoulder, and they started walking.

"We'll need some place to hide," Feliciano said. "Otherwise they'll find us."

"So, we're walking in the direction New York City?" Gilbert asked.

"Si," Antonio nodded.

"Then we go to the left," Gilbert stated. "That's where the cave is."

"What cave?" Antonio asked, but they did turn.

"Where I got my genie's lamp," Gilbert smiled. "It's an awesome story, wanna hear it?"

"I wanna hear it again!" Feliciano cheered.

"Go ahead," Ludwig sighed.

Gilbert retold his story for the entirety of the way to the cave. They had to stop and search at some points to try to find the cave, but they did find it eventually. There were several good sized rock fixtures around it so they hid among those. Gilbert sat on the ground at the first chance he could.

"I think it's really sweet what you did for Matthew," Antonio smiled. "I could try doing something like that with Lovi."

"From what I've heard about Prince Lovino," Gilbert raised an eyebrow as Ludwig started working on the numbing spray and gave Gilbert another pill, "I don't think he'd really like it if someone turned into a girl just to trick him."

"Lovi would probably hit you," Feliciano chimed in.

"You're probably right," Antonio sighed.

"So, you're into a Prince, too, huh?" Gilbert laughed. "Guess being gay is turning into a royal thing."

"Si," Antonio smiled. "But I don't think Lovi likes me the same way…"

"Ah, don't worry, Toni," Gilbert relaxed against the rock. "I'm sure you'll be fine. He's Italian. If he didn't like your advances, then you'd probably be shot through the head by now."

"I never thought of it that way…" Antonio looked up at the sky. "He never has shot down anything I've done…"

"Are you two really talking about relationships right now?" Ludwig sighed.

"Feeling left out?" Gilbert teased. "We can talk about your budding relationship."

"I do not have a relationship," Ludwig shook his head and Feliciano blushed, looking away.

"Sure you don't," Antonio laughed.

"Sh," Feliciano said suddenly, looking over the rocks slightly. "Get down." The three still standing crouched down and stayed quiet as they heard several cars pass them by.

"They're probably headed towards the plane," Gilbert muttered. "Our path is gonna be a little harder now…"

"Which side of the city is the secret passage on?" Antonio asked.

"Uh…the West," Gilbert stated. "Once we get there, we'll have to get through a couple buildings and then the castle's right there."

"The castle will probably be well guarded," Ludwig stated.

"Plus we'll have to get around without being noticed," Antonio stated. "We do stand out a little."

"We're gonna have to walk there, won't we?" Gilbert sighed.

"Will you be able to handle it?" Ludwig asked.

"It's a little late to turn back now, isn't it?" Gilbert asked. "Besides, I'm here for Birdie. I can make it."

* * *

**In case you all are wondering, I do know what the steering wheel for a plane is called. It's a yoke. But Gilbert doesn't know and not a lot of people know, so I decided to put "steering-wheel thing."**

**So I would talk about this chapter right now, but my neck is killing me and my dad thinks it's altitude sickness or whatever, so I'm not exactly in the mood to talk. Sorry.**

**Please review.**


	18. Help Out

Chapter 18. Help Out.

It was a really long walk to the city. They had to constantly duck behind rocks or trees as they got closer and there were more patrols. Gilbert was sure he'd gotten through an entire bottle of those weird pills just to make it to the canopy wall on the side of the city.

"Where is this secret passage you were talking about?" Ludwig asked. They had to stay quiet just in case someone came around.

"Not too much further," Gilbert sighed, his legs aching. But he wasn't about to quit now.

"This is actually kinda fun," Antonio laughed quietly.

"I'd appreciate it more if I hadn't been tossed all the way to Germany," Gilbert smiled slightly. "Let's keep going."

They continued around the city until they came across the small rip in the canopy, large enough for a man to crawl through. The other side looked to have quite a few old buildings and not a single person, luckily for them.

"That weird guy said that no one's been around this part of the city in years," Gilbert panted slightly. The sun was beginning to set around them, giving everything an orange glow.

"Seems like he was right," Ludwig stated and helped Gilbert through to the other side.

"I've never been to New York City," Antonio stated as he crawled in after Ludwig. "So far, it seems really rundown…"

"Don't worry, this is just the places that were slummed up," Gilbert shrugged and Ludwig handed him another pill that he greedily took. "There are some really good parts to it."

"And you lived here all alone?" Feliciano gaped, looking around.

"Ja," Gilbert nodded proudly as Ludwig helped him stand up and they started walking again. "I think the castle is somewhere over there."

"You think?" Ludwig asked.

"In my defense, I'm in a lot of pain," Gilbert stated. "And considering how reliable I've been so far, I don't think you should complain."

"I don't think I'd be able to move if I had fallen from the sky like that," Antonio mused. "At least, not for quite a while. It's only been a couple of weeks for you."

"Well, think if your little Lovi was in danger like this," Gilbert smirked. "Then do you think you'd be able to do this?"

"Si, I think so," Antonio nodded slowly. "You really like Prince Matthew, don't you?"

"I turned myself into a girl," Gilbert laughed. "If I didn't like him, I'd have to be a total dumb-ass."

"How, exactly did you pass as a Princess?" Ludwig sighed.

"Barely," Gilbert winked. "Besides, I'm awesome, how could anyone not like me?"

"I can think of a few ways," Ludwig stated.

"Hey," Gilbert whined. "From my own bruder?"

"I like you, Gilbert!" Feliciano cheered and Ludwig shushed him.

"I think you are pretty awesome," Antonio stated.

"See? They like me," Gilbert smirked. By now, they had made it onto a street and were walking along the sidewalk. A part of the ground was uneven that Gilbert didn't see, making him roll his ankle and he yelled out in pain.

"We will stop for now," Ludwig sighed. Luckily, they were near some old bench and Gilbert happily sat down on it as Ludwig pulled out some more of that numbing spray that Gilbert was beginning to feel wasn't working so well anymore.

"So, what's our plan once we get into the castle?" Antonio asked.

"I haven't gotten there yet," Gilbert smirked, taking another one of those pills from Ludwig. "I'll tell you when I think of it."

"Who's there?" a familiar girl's voice shouted at them and all them tensed. Ludwig even stepped protectively in front of Gilbert. But Gilbert couldn't get over that voice…

"Cow?" Gilbert looked around Ludwig and in the direction the voice came from. Out of the shadows between a few old buildings came Elizaveta who stared at them in shock.

"No way," Elizaveta lowered the gun she had pointed at the group.

"Miss me?" Gilbert laughed.

"You're supposed to be dead," Elizaveta gaped at him.

"I'm awesome, it takes more than that to kill me," Gilbert smirked.

"You know her?" Ludwig asked, stepping aside slightly.

"Wh-what is going on?" Elizaveta asked, looking at the people around Gilbert.

"Well, it turns out I didn't need to pretend to be a Beilschmidt," Gilbert shrugged. "I am one."

"You're the lost Prince?" Elizaveta nearly dropped her gun.

"Ja," Gilbert nodded, wincing slightly at his head. "Why else would I have Luddie here as my lacky?"

"Why are you all here?" Elizaveta asked.

"Well, that guy that took over is really becoming a problem," Feliciano smiled. "And so we're here to get rid of him before the Italian army comes through."

"And I'm here for Birdie," Gilbert raised his hand slightly.

"You're here to kill Francis?" Elizaveta asked, stepping a little closer to them.

"Ja," Ludwig nodded. "If you try to get in our way, we will have to kill you as well."

"Don't think I ever cleared killing anyone else," Gilbert said.

"I want to help you," Elizaveta offered.

"You do?" Antonio asked.

"I ran away," Elizaveta said. "I've been looking for other people willing to help me, but everyone is too scared to try anything."

"Then welcome to the team," Gilbert smirked.

"You can't just let someone join because they say they are on your side," Ludwig snapped at him.

"This cow's been after me for years," Gilbert stated. "She was pretty much my closest thing to human contact for a lot of my life. I trust her."

"If you trust her, I trust her," Antonio shrugged.

"I like her! She's pretty!" Feliciano said happily.

"Thank you," Elizaveta nodded, blushing slightly. Any girl complemented by a Prince probably would.

"If you try anything," Ludwig warned, "I will not hesitate to take you out."

"Right," Elizaveta slowly nodded, coming up closer to them. "What happened to you?" she finally noticed Gilbert's bandaging and ragged breathing.

"Took ya long enough," Gilbert laughed. "Well, after being on TV as the lost Prince who pretended to be a Princess, I was thrown all the way to Germany. Where I crash landed onto a house. Luckily, my awesomeness saved my life and I'm still here today. By the way, say anything about that Princess thing and I'll kill you."

"I thought you were an adorable Princess," Elizaveta giggled.

"Oh, yeah?" Gilbert tried to get up, but received a sharp pain in the ribs and had to lean back onto the bench, groaning slightly in pain.

"That doesn't look good," Elizaveta's smile dropped.

"You think?" Gilbert gritted his teeth. "Whatever, we should keep going."

"If you're trying to get into the castle, that could be a little hard," Elizaveta muttered. "Francis has made quite a few guards to surround it. Even more than the Princes originally had."

"We figured it would be difficult to get in," Ludwig sighed.

"I know a tunnel," Gilbert stated. "It leads to the dungeons. Getting out of there will be the hard part."

"Luckily, when I ran away, I kept my keys," Elizaveta smiled, pulling out a key ring with quite a few keys jingling around.

"Nice, cow," Gilbert smirked.

"I have a name, you know," Elizaveta glared at him.

"Cow just suits you," Gilbert shrugged.

"And Maria suits you," Elizaveta chimed happily, receiving a glare from Gilbert.

"Where is the tunnel?" Antonio asked.

"It's close," Gilbert motioned for Ludwig to help him up and soon they were standing. "Let's go."

"Do you know when Francis plans to attack Mexico?" Feliciano asked as they began walking.

"I don't know," Elizaveta shook her head. "Only a few of us could get out and the rest seem to be under mind control. I think if I tried to find out, I might get put under, too."

"He's a sorcerer now," Gilbert sighed. "And he's got Brows…"

"Who?" Elizaveta asked.

"My genie," Gilbert turned to smirk back at her. "And he's got one wish left. Who knows what he's going to use it for…"

"He could wish for anything," Feliciano muttered.

"There's three rules," Gilbert stated. "I don't know if Francis knows them…"

"What are they?" Ludwig asked.

"He can't make anyone fall in love," Gilbert stated. "He can't kill, and he can't bring anyone back to life."

"And other than that, he's got free reign," Elizaveta muttered and Gilbert stopped them in front of some old building.

"This looks like the right one, "Gilbert stated.

"Are you sure?" Ludwig asked.

"My awesome memory is perfect," Gilbert smirked, wincing slightly at his side. "Of course I'm sure."

"Then let's hurry," Antonio said and they slowly made their way in. Gilbert led them to the staircase that led to the basement, which happened to have a tunnel that led right into the dungeon. Gilbert let out a relieved sigh at the sight of it. They were on the right track. And the mysterious man hadn't seemed to close it just like Gilbert expected. Who knows where that man went off to…

It was pitch black as they made their way through and they stayed silent just in case someone could have been down there that could rat them out. There were a few times when they nearly hit a wall as the cave turned, but other than that it was smooth. They didn't stop until they reached what seemed like the end and Gilbert had to sit down to take a break.

"I will check what's on the other side," Elizaveta said. There was a smaller tunnel that Gilbert remembered having to crawl through that went through a wall behind a bed in the dungeon.

"Be careful," Feliciano stated as Gilbert took another pill from Ludwig and more numbing spray was applied.

It was quiet for a short while until Elizaveta came back.

"It's clear," she stated and disappeared once again.

"Do you think you can make it?" Ludwig asked.

"Too late to go back now," Gilbert smirked and sucked in a deep breath before making his way through the small opening. His arms and legs ached in protest, but he continued on anyway until he finally made it to the other side and leaned against the wall next to it.

"How bad was that fall?" Elizaveta asked.

"I came from New York in a matter of minutes," Gilbert gritted his teeth. "Let's just say I was barely alive because of mein own awesomeness."

"When did you start speaking German?" Elizaveta asked as the others started coming through. "I don't remember you saying it on the streets."

"I'm not speaking Deutsch," Gilbert blinked, finally registering what he said. "Sheiβe, when the hell did that start happening?"

"What?" Feliciano asked.

"I've been speaking Deutsch," Gilbert stated, unable to stop himself from speaking the language he didn't even know.

"I thought you knew," Antonio shrugged as he slid his feet out of the cave. He was the last of them and Gilbert could see that the door to the room was slightly ajar.

"Nein," Gilbert shook his head.

"That is not something to be worrying about now," Ludwig sighed, helping Gilbert stand up.

"Ja, ja," Gilbert sighed.

"Did you check the hallway?" Ludwig asked.

"Yes," Elizaveta nodded and looked out again carefully. "We're clear."

With that, the group continued their way through the lower hallways of the castle. Elizaveta had to use her keys twice to get into the actual castle part. In the halls, they stayed quiet, save for Gilbert's few noises of pain. They narrowly avoided a few groups of soldiers by turning corners.

On their way down one hallway, they heard a few more coming their way.

"Shit," Elizaveta muttered and glanced around. There was a door that, had Gilbert been slightly more aware, he would have recognized. Ludwig opened the door and they flooded in, closing the door silently behind them.

"That was close," Antonio chuckled slightly.

There was a sound behind them and they all froze for a second before turning to see who was there. The second Gilbert met his eyes, he couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh and smile. It was Matthew. And he was okay.

* * *

**Alright, I'm feeling a little better today. Just a little. Anywho, they have now all met once again. Except Alfred, who's off trying to be rebellious. And I give some major props to Gil here. Out of his own grit, he's walked for multiple miles with broken arms and legs and ribs and a concussion. All for Mattie, how adorable. What happens when they meet? We'll find out tomorrow.**

**Please review!**


	19. For You

Chapter 19. For You.

Matthew held back a sigh as he made his way through the castle hallways. It was impossible to try to get out; Alfred had already tried that. Multiple times. Matthew had no idea why Francis was keeping the two of them around, considering he was apparently King now. There were quite a few times when he expressed interest in Matthew, but Matthew always rejected him. Alfred was taking advantage of the fact that they weren't going anywhere by being as annoying as possible.

For now, Matthew decided to just hide out in his room since there would be nothing better to do until another meal came around. He had his hands in his pocket, one of them playing with the ring he was supposed to have given to Maria…or, the stranger. Francis seemed to know him, but said nothing about it. Matthew had no idea why he kept the ring, he guessed it just made him feel better…

Finally, Matthew reached his room and stepped inside. Kumafigi was in there, but Francis kept him chained to Matthew's bed so that he didn't do anything. Right now, he was curled up asleep on Matthew's bed. Matthew sighed, patting his head before curling up himself onto the bed. He pulled out the ring and looked at it. It was simple, since he figured Maria wouldn't want a stupid, gaudy ring.

Matthew was shoved out of his reverie when he heard his door open and several people came in. Confused, Matthew sat upright and looked over at them.

"That was close," one of them chuckled. Just looking at them from behind, Matthew could recognize them. Feliciano, Prince of Italy, Antonio, King of Spain, Ludwig, King of Germany, Elizaveta, and…the stranger?

Matthew let out a squeak in surprise. What were all of them doing there? How did they get here? They all turned to look at him and Matthew made eye contact with the stranger, who smiled slightly.

"Hey, Birdie," he said and Matthew saw that he was using Ludwig to help him stand, for some reason.

"Y-You're alive?" Matthew asked, standing up from his bed.

"Barely," the stranger pulled away from Ludwig and walked a little closer to Matthew. "I know you're probably pissed at me. But I promise I didn't lie to you, I never wanted to trick you, and I swear to Gott that I really do love you. You don't need to trust me, just know that-"

Matthew cut him off by gripping onto his shirt and pulling him down into a kiss. The stranger was frozen for a short while before he kissed him back, his hand moving to the back of Matthew's head. It didn't last very long and they pulled apart, the stranger's ruby eyes looking at him in confusion. Matthew easily ignored the squeals let out by Elizaveta.

"You're not mad or…untrusting or anything?" the stranger asked.

"You came back," Matthew smiled. "That proves that you actually care."

"I do a lot more than care," the stranger smiled and pulled him into a hug. Matthew couldn't help but smile and was about to hug him back, but the stranger let out a sudden noise of pain and knelt to the ground.

"Gilbert," Ludwig sighed and knelt down next to him, handing him some sort of square pill. Matthew knelt down, too, and couldn't help but put the pieces together. If King Ludwig was here, and calling the stranger Gilbert…then that would have to mean…

"So, that would make you the lost Prince?" Matthew asked.

"Ja, I don't think we've ever been properly introduced," Gilbert smiled slightly, still wincing in pain. Matthew had to wonder what had happened to him. "I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt, rightful King of Germany."

"Matthew Williams," Matthew chuckled slightly. "Prince of America-Canada."

"I think I like Birdie a little better," Gilbert smirked.

"You two are so adorable!" Elizaveta squealed.

"What happened?" Matthew asked.

"I know the story!" Feliciano cheered happily.

"I do, too," Antonio shrugged.

"Kinda had to explain myself after the whole being a girl thing," Gilbert shrugged, but gritted his teeth as he recoiled into himself.

"Sit back," Ludwig ordered and helped Gilbert sit down, leaning against the footboard of Matthew's bed. He started spraying something onto Gilbert's arms and legs, which Matthew assumed were hurt.

"So, what did happen?" Matthew asked, looking up at Feliciano and Antonio since Gilbert was getting help.

"Well, when Francis tossed him," Feliciano stated, "he wound up flying all the way to Germany. And he landed on a house."

"He was in the hospital for a while, until he woke up," Antonio continued. "After just a couple days, he demanded to come along and help."

"So, what are you doing here?" Matthew asked.

"We're here to get rid of Francis, before he causes too many problems," Feliciano chimed.

"I'm mainly just here for you," Gilbert inputted.

"Elizaveta, where did you go?" Matthew asked.

"There's no way I'm working for Francis," Elizaveta smirked. "I'd rather work for him," she pointed at Gilbert.

"Thanks, love you, too," Gilbert smirked and tried to move, but it apparently hurt too much.

"You should have waited to come," Matthew laughed slightly, turning back to Gilbert. "You don't look like you're going to do so well."

"Would you prefer the Italian military marching onto your doorstep?" Gilbert asked.

"What?" Matthew's eyes widened.

"Grandpa wants to get rid of Francis before he could do anything bad," Feliciano muttered.

"Gilbert came up with the idea to just get rid of him now and save people," Antonio shrugged. "He's the one that got us in the city and the castle."

"Some dude in the dungeon led me to a cave," Gilbert stated. "And I have an awesome memory. Turns out, he expected me to be dead, so he didn't cover up any of the entrances."

"So, how long have you known you were the lost Prince?" Matthew asked curiously.

"About when I woke up in Germany," Gilbert shrugged, but it was still obvious that he was in pain. "Guess I didn't need to pretend I was royalty, huh?"

"So what are we going to do about Francis?" Elizaveta chimed in. "I don't think Gilbert can do anything like this."

"If I can take walking three miles from a crashed plane, I think I can take on Franny," Gilbert shrugged.

"I have to agree with her," Feliciano rubbed the back of his head. "You're not looking so good."

"I'm fine," Gilbert tried to assure them.

"Gil I think you should just rest," Matthew sighed, giving him a smile.

"Come on," Gilbert groaned. "I can take a little pain."

"Gilbert," Ludwig let out a sigh and pulled out some kind of needle and, before Gilbert could see it, had it in Gilbert's arm. Gilbert faintly looked like he noticed before looking really dazed and his eyes closed as he relaxed. "I figured I would have to use this."

"What did you do?" Matthew asked.

"It's just to help him sleep," Ludwig informed. "He's not exactly the kind to know when he needs to stop."

"Yeah, I guess he isn't," Matthew smiled slightly. "He can sleep on my bed if that will help him."

"Will anyone come into your room to check on you?" Antonio asked.

"As long as I go to all the meals, I have some sort of privacy," Matthew nodded.

"How is Alfred doing?" Elizaveta asked as Ludwig easily picked up Gilbert and sat him on the bed. Kumafilni crawled over to him and nuzzled into his arm.

"He's doing everything he can to go against Francis," Matthew sighed. "So, obviously, he's not doing very well. He's tried multiple times to fight him, but those all just wound up with him getting locked up in his room."

"You should be able to help us with Francis, though, right?" Feliciano asked cheerfully. "Since you've been around him for long enough?"

"I'm not sure what I can do," Matthew shrugged. "He has his magic for one thing and then there's the genie. He could do anything he wants any time."

"Well, if you think about it," Antonio mused. "If he's like any genie in story books, then he should only have three wishes, right?"

"Ja, that would make sense," Ludwig stated.

"And, on the announcement, he only used two," Feliciano said happily. "So, he just as one more wish."

"Gilbert has some, too," Matthew stated. "I'm not sure how many."

"So, we could get lucky and get the lamp…or, whatever it is," Elizaveta shrugged, "and then Gilbert could get us out of it."

"Any of us could get to it," Antonio stated. "It is a genie, right? Which means anyone should be able to use it."

"I think it's a rose right now," Matthew stated. "But I haven't even seen it since the day of the announcement."

"If I had a genie, I would keep it close-by," Elizaveta hummed. "He could have it hidden somewhere on him. Since it's a rose, he could keep it anywhere."

"Was it a rose for Gilbert, too?" Feliciano asked.

"It changes, apparently," Matthew stated. "For Gil, it was a necklace. So that he could wear it as a girl."

"Do you think it could have changed for him again?" Antonio asked.

"I have no idea," Matthew shook his head.

"Our best bet would be to find it and take it," Ludwig stated. "Have you seen the genie at all?"

"Sometimes," Matthew shrugged. "He really doesn't seem to be happy with Francis, but Francis doesn't seem to care."

"Out of all of us, Gilbert would probably know the most out of all of us about a genie," Antonio said.

"But he's sleeping right now," Feliciano sighed.

"Then we just wait for him to wake up," Ludwig stated.

"And in the meantime, what do we do?" Elizaveta asked. "I don't think it's a good idea for all of us to just hide out in Matthew's room."

"There's nothing else we can really do," Matthew sighed. "I usually stay in here except for a little while for meals. When do you think Gil will wake up again?"

"We should have him rest for at least a day," Ludwig sighed. "His injuries are worse than I thought and walking around as much as we have is only making them worse."

"Then we'll just spend one day here" Feliciano said happily. "You also have an adorable polar bear! Can I pet it?"

"He's usually not very nice to new people," Matthew sighed, looking back to Gilbert. "He surprised me when he didn't instantly hate Gilbert."

"Do you have any other pets?" Antonio asked. "I hear you have a lot of birds in the garden."

"Al's been trying to get an eagle in there for years" Matthew chuckled slightly. "Gilbert had a bird, who's stuck around. I think he's just been used to being domesticated. I just don't want Francis to find him and get rid of him, so I've kept him in the garden."

"What kind of bird is it?" Antonio asked, seeming very interested.

"I'm not sure," Matthew smiled. He was actually pretty happy that people were around and he had a nice distraction. He couldn't help but play with the ring slightly in his pocket as he looked back at Gilbert. Now he was pretty happy that he didn't get a very girly one. "It looks like some kind of yellow chick. He named it Gilbird."

"Sounds like something he would do," Ludwig sighed, leaning against a wall. Matthew smiled. He knew Ludwig wasn't the kind of person to express himself a lot, but Matthew knew he must have been happy to have found his brother after so long of being gone.

"So, I have to ask," Matthew sat down on the edge of his bed, "how did you guys even get here? I would have sworn Francis had this placed locked up tight."

"It was all Gilbert," Feliciano said happily. "He knows his way around a lot of things! He even hacked into the plane!"

* * *

**Hey! I'm in a bit of a rush to update this, so ignore any typos I missed with my editing. I wish I could say something, but I gotta go.**

**Please review!**


	20. Dinner Time

Chapter 20. Dinner Time.

"Ugh, I'm gonna kill Luddie."

Matthew looked over at Gilbert from where he was talking with Feliciano about some random conversation topic they had managed to come up with. He was started to move around, slowly blinking awake.

"Hey, Gil," Matthew smiled, quickly making his way over to Gilbert.

"Hey," Gilbert nodded to him and made a move to try to sit up, but Ludwig quickly came over and made sure he stayed lying down. "What the hell did you do?"

"I made sure you wouldn't over do yourself," Ludwig stated.

"How long was I out?" Gilbert sighed.

"A little less than a day," Matthew said and Gilbert let out a groan.

"Really?" Gilbert groaned. "What the hell did you even give me?"

"It's what doctors use to make you go all sleepy when they operate on you," Feliciano informed happily.

"So you wanted to operate on me, Luddie?" Gilbert finally smirked. "At least help me up."

"Isn't it almost time for dinner, Mattie?" Antonio asked.

"Yeah," Matthew sighed as Ludwig helped Gilbert sit upright. He didn't seem like he was in as much pain as he was yesterday, which was good.

"Dinner?" Gilbert asked.

"I have to go," Matthew shrugged. "Just like every time."

"Is Franny making you go?" Gilbert asked.

"Why do you keep calling him that?" Matthew asked.

"I'm awesome, I just do," Gilbert shrugged. "So, what's our plan, since I was knocked out?"

"We just figured out that we need to get the lamp, or rose," Elizaveta said.

"We don't know much about genies," Ludwig stated.

"Look at that, the awesome me gets to be useful yet again," Gilbert laughed.

"I should get going," Matthew sighed. If he didn't leave soon, there would definitely be someone to check on him.

"Then we start our plan now," Gilbert stated.

"What?" Ludwig asked.

"My plan is usually just to roll with it," Gilbert shrugged. "Get the rose is good enough for me to get going."

"What do you think you're going to do?" Matthew asked.

"I have no fucking clue," Gilbert laughed. "Things just usually work out for me."

"Except when you're falling from the sky," Antonio chimed.

"Ah, but I didn't die," Gilbert said. "And I found my bruder."

"I really should get going," Matthew stated.

"Dining room, right?" Gilbert asked.

"Yeah," Matthew nodded.

"Gut, then just distract him," Gilbert smirked. "I'll figure something out."

"Right," Matthew slowly nodded and made his way to the door. "Just be careful and don't let anyone see you."

"Good luck!" Feliciano cheered as Matthew quickly made his way out of his room and made his way to the dining room. He knew Gilbert wouldn't be getting out of that room without fighting for a while with his brother, but he would probably get out eventually. Which meant they would actually be doing something. He wasn't exactly sure what, though. He just had to distract Francis…That couldn't be too hard.

"Salut," Francis chimed happily in French as Matthew entered the dining hall. As usual, it had Francis sitting at the head and Alfred grumpily sitting on one side, with an empty place across from it where Matthew would sit. There were a few brainwashed guards around.

"Bonjour," Matthew muttered and made his way to his own seat. His mother had taught him French as well as English, since they were both the official languages of Canada when it was a country on its own.

"Why the hell do you come here on your own?" Alfred grumbled.

"Because I actually like my privacy, Al?" Matthew sighed.

"Well, I like my independence," Alfred huffed.

"I know you do," Matthew shook his head.

"Let us eat now," Francis chimed happily and food was placed in front of them.

Alfred looked at it with complete disdain, but Matthew knew he would eat it eventually. Matthew honestly didn't care at this point. It had been like this for weeks. He would come out of his room, they would eat, and then he would go back. Alfred would always grumpily go along with it.

It was strange, though…Francis was cruel to other people; the guards, Gilbert, the citizens of the city. But if it came to Matthew or Alfred, he was kind. It almost reminded Matthew of when they were little and he was "Big Brother Francis." He started changing, though, and that was when Matthew grew to hate him. Alfred had trusted him before what happened during the announcement, but now both of the brothers were against him.

Matthew started eating, not really paying attention to what he was eating. He was actually kind of nervous. Gilbert would do something and Matthew would have to help him out…but how? He hadn't seen the rose that Francis had as the lamp for a while. He would have to figure out some way to do it.

"So, Mathieu, have you put any thought into wedding me?" Francis asked, just like he did at every dinner.

"No," Matthew muttered.

"Again," Alfred coughed obviously and Matthew sent him a glare.

"I cannot help but grow tired of your rejection," Francis sighed and Matthew continued to eat, more preoccupied with the idea of how he would be a distraction… "I could try a more effective tactic." Matthew faintly noticed him reach his hand behind himself and the genie appeared, a very angry expression on his face. Matthew couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Was he keeping the rose back there? How?

"What?" the genie snapped at him. Matthew never grew quite accustomed to seeing him just show up out of nowhere, but he would show up sometimes. Matthew had no clue why, as Francis had yet to use his third wish.

"Do not be so harsh," Francis chuckled and the genie glared darkly at him. "I have decided on my last wish." This brought everyone's attention up. Alfred nearly spat out the food he just started eating and Matthew got a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. The genie's glare softened slightly with surprise. "I wish for Prince Mathieu to fall in love with me."

"No," Matthew blurted out before he could stop himself.

"I can't do that," the genie stated, glancing at Matthew with his forest green eyes.

"Sure you can, you are a genie, after all," Francis said calmly.

"I really-"

There was a sudden commotion in the hall, behind the doors that made the guards perk up. Matthew nearly face-palmed. Could Gilbert be more obvious?

"Quoi?" Francis muttered to himself, standing up. Matthew tried thinking quickly for something he could do as a distraction, but there was only one thing coming to mind. Francis started walking towards the door and Matthew quickly stood up.

"Wait," Matthew blurted out, standing right in front of Francis.

"Oui?" Francis raised an eyebrow and the ruckus behind the door got worse.

"J-Je t'aime…" Matthew mumbled quickly, before he could stop himself and looked down to hide the panic in his face, hoping that he could pull it off as being shy. Alfred gagged next to them.

"Hm, je vois," Francis hummed happily, glancing back at the genie with a satisfied smirk. "But I have things to deal with right now." The commotion grew worse as Francis simply patted Matthews head and started towards the door once again. Matthew panicked when he saw the door begin to open and quickly turned Francis around, stood onto the tips of his toes, and pressed their lips together.

He shivered slightly and he heard Alfred make a sound of surprise. Luckily, he had seemed to distract Francis enough and tried to discreetly get the rose from behind Francis. He was able to quickly discover that the stem was tucked into his pants and made a grab for it.

Francis grabbed onto Matthew's wrist, pulling back with a smirk.

"Did you really think I would fall for that?" Francis chuckled, but Matthew had the rose gripped tightly in his hand. Francis's other arm was stretched out and Matthew glanced over to find Gilbert with a pistol being pointed at him, but he was also pointing a pistol at Francis. "Either of you move and I will shoot."

There was a short pause and Matthew was able to glance at Gilbert, who hadn't seemed to falter.

"I'm willing to take that risk," Gilbert smirked and a shot rang out. Matthew flinched, but he felt Francis let go and immediately started running towards Gilbert, who had already started running back out the door. Matthew followed him through the hallways of the castle before they made it into some room Matthew didn't pay attention to and Gilbert locked the door.

"Was that kiss really necessary?" Gilbert sighed, panting and wincing at his injuries.

"I panicked, okay?" Matthew snapped, still tightly gripping the rose. "It's not like I enjoyed it. And why did you shoot?"

"I knew he wasn't about to hurt you," Gilbert panted. "And he's already tried to kill me multiple times, so I'm fine."

"That doesn't mean you can't get hurt again," Matthew punched him in the shoulder.

"Okay, ow," Gilbert held onto his shoulder and sank to the ground. "Running really wasn't an awesome idea…"

"You're an idiot," Matthew sighed, but couldn't help but smile. "So, do you just rub the rose and the genie will appear?"

"That's my guess," Gilbert shrugged.

"Right," Matthew nodded and rubbed the rose with his thumb. "It's not working."

"Give it," Gilbert held up his hand and Matthew quickly gave him the rose. He finally got a glance at what was around them and found that they were in the library. "Verdammt! It's just a rose." Gilbert tossed the rose into the room.

"What do we do now?" Matthew asked. He really didn't like how no one was even trying to get into the library.

"I don't know," Gilbert muttered, taking out one of those pills from his pocket and swallowing it. "Why aren't they going after us?"

"Where are the others?" Matthew asked.

"Near the pool," Gilbert slowly stood up. "If no one's around, we're going there."

"Are you sure you're alright to run?" Matthew asked.

"Oh, hell no," Gilbert laughed. "That's what makes it interesting, right?"

"I'm only going with you on one condition," Matthew stated.

"Ja?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

"Hold onto this," Matthew dug out the ring from his pocket and placed it into Gilbert's hand. Before he could say anything, Matthew opened the door and started running to the easiest way he knew to get to the pool. Gilbert was following him close behind. They had a few close calls with some guards, but they easily avoided them and were soon outside, at the pool.

There were several people around it. Antonio, Feliciano, Ludwig, and Elizaveta were kneeling down with guns pressed to their heads, Feliciano's guns laid out in front of them, on the edge of the pool. Francis was standing happily next to the pool, just ahead of the others. It was starting to get dark, but there were a few bright lights scattered around, helping the scene.

"I have to wonder how many tries it will take to kill you," Francis chuckled, happily holding a rose in his hand.

"It's impossible to kill awesome," Gilbert smirked and pulled out another pistol that had been tucked into his pants. He pointed them both at Francis. "So, what now?"

"You seem to forget that I have my own magic," Francis hummed, calmly walking towards them. "And that you are at a disadvantage."

"He's also got me!" Alfred called overhead and shots were fired above them. Francis took a few steps back and Matthew started pulling Gilbert back to the castle.

"We have to keep moving," Matthew pressed, grabbing onto his hand, but Gilbert looked back at the four near the pool.

"Ja, you're right," Gilbert reluctantly turned towards the castle and Matthew started running.

"Leaving so soon?" Francis chimed and Gilbert's hand slipped out of Matthew's grip.

* * *

**Translations:  
Salut-Hi  
Quoi-What  
Je t'aime-I love you  
Je vois-I see**

**So, apparently a lot of people want to see Francis dead, rather than get Jafar's ending. I'm not gonna say what's gonna happen to him, but I can assure you that right now he's not himself. He's OOC and will be better later. But all these death wishes are making me concerned for the poor man's health. Then again, next chapter he might get even more death wishes...**

**Anyway! Please review!**


	21. Help

Chapter 21. Help.

Matthew immediately turned around and found Gilbert floating in mid-air, unable to move, with his guns dropped to the ground. Matthew looked up to where he had heard Alfred and found a balcony set ablaze.

"Get down and stay down," Francis looked over at Matthew as he walked closer to Gilbert.

Matthew glared at him before putting his hands up in front of him and kneeling down to the ground. Francis smiled and stopped, just a foot in front of Gilbert, whose left hand was closed tightly over what Matthew figured would have to be the ring.

"How many times have I tried to kill you?" Francis smirked. "Let us see. There was when I tossed you halfway across the world." Gilbert's right arm suddenly twisted before seeming to flatten and Gilbert let out a scream in pain. Matthew tried to stand up, but Francis glanced at him and Matthew felt something force him back to a crouch. "When I had you tossed into a burning building." Gilbert's other arm repeated the same process, but his hand remained solidly closed and he screamed once again. "When I left you in the collapsed cave." Now it was Gilbert's leg and another scream. "When I tried to drop you off that building." Gilbert's other leg and another scream.

"That was you?" Gilbert muttered under his breath and it was barely audible, but Matthew was able to hear it.

"Of course," Francis smirked. "It seems your ribs have almost healed," he hummed and flicked his wrist. Gilbert yelled out in pain and coughed up blood as Matthew winced. He had never seen Francis be this bad… "And that concussion." Francis flicked his wrist again and Gilbert's head snapped back before he crumpled to the ground.

"Gilbert," Matthew finally moved and quickly knelt down next to Gilbert. His breathing was very ragged and his eyes were closed tight in pain.

"You should not worry about him anymore," Francis chimed above them. "He will finally get over that habit of getting in my way."

Matthew quickly picked up one of the pistols and pointed it right at Francis's head.

"Shut up," Matthew glared at him and Francis's eyes actually widened in shock.

"Mathieu," Francis spoke, but Matthew just cocked the gun.

"I will shoot," Matthew stated. He knew how to shoot guns, since Alfred had his gun craze and needed someone to do target practice with him.

"I just-"

Matthew fired and Francis froze. His ear began to bleed and Francis shakily put a hand up to cover it.

"That was your warning," Matthew stated and cocked the gun once again.

"Fine, then," Francis sighed and swiftly turned around to go back to the people at the pool. Matthew set the gun down and turned back to Gilbert.

Matthew honestly had no idea what to do. He was scared to move Gilbert with all of his injuries, and he had no idea what to say to him.

"Didn't know…you could…shoot," Gilbert mumbled out.

"You shouldn't talk," Matthew shook his head.

"Me?" Gilbert smirked slightly. "Not talk? That's a…joke."

"Gilbert," Matthew scolded him.

"Fine," Gilbert sighed, opening his eyes slightly. "You talk."

"What?" Matthew blinked.

"Your voice is nice," Gilbert said simply.

"It's not like you're about to die," Matthew muttered.

"Humor me," Gilbert said.

"I don't know what to talk about," Matthew shook his head.

"Franny," Gilbert shrugged, or at least it looked like he tried to.

"You mean Francis?" Matthew asked and Gilbert faintly nodded. "I-I don't know what to say about him."

"Anything," Gilbert stated.

"Uh, well, he wasn't always like this," Matthew sighed, not really knowing what to do. Francis was talking or doing something with the others that were on the edge of the pool. "For a while he was just…like a big brother to me. He was nice, if not a bit perverted, and took care of me and Al. But, I don't know what happened. He just kind of slowly started getting meaner and meaner to other people. But it kinda seems like he has a soft spot for us…"

"Help me sit up," Gilbert muttered.

"What? No," Matthew shook his head.

"Ja, help me sit up," Gilbert demanded, his voice coming out louder.

"No," Matthew glared at him. "You're hurt and you're staying still until we can get help."

"I have a plan," Gilbert stated. "You need to trust me."

Matthew let out a sigh and glanced at Gilbert's left hand, which was still closed tightly.

"Fine," Matthew sighed and looked down at him. He had no idea how he was going to help him up without hurting him. There was no way.

"Don't worry about hurting me," Gilbert sighed. "I can take it."

"This really isn't a good idea," Matthew shook his head, but tentatively held onto his shoulders and helped him get to a nearby wall to sit upright. He also carefully moved Gilbert's legs so they straightened out, ignoring Gilbert's pained noises and the way his legs definitely didn't feel right. "What is your plan?"

"Guess we'll find out," Gilbert faintly smirked.

"Really, Gilbert?" Matthew groaned.

"Relax," Gilbert sighed before taking a deep breath, seeming to prepare himself for something. "Oi! Franny!" Gilbert winced a little as he yelled, but he forced himself to regain composure and looked over at Francis.

"Oui?" Francis gave him an amused smirk, like he knew he couldn't do anything.

"When I was little," Gilbert kept his voice loud, though it was obvious to Matthew that it was extremely painful to him. He wanted to make him stop, but he knew he would never be able to do that. "You said I would take away your power, right? Don't know what you're afraid of...You don't even have much power now."

"I do not?" Francis didn't seem to falter, though Matthew was definitely confused. In a flash, Francis was in front of them and Matthew took a few steps back. He glanced at the guns, but there was no way he would be able to get them quickly if something happened, nor could he get them right now without being noticed. "I do believe I have a fairly large amount of power now."

"Compare what you have to the power of a genie," Gilbert smirked, apparently happy he got Francis's attention.

Francis seemed to consider this as the genie appeared out of nowhere to glare at Gilbert.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" the genie glared at him.

"Relax, Brows," Gilbert stated. "I'm awesome…I've got this." He winced slightly at some pain somewhere on his body and Matthew was at a loss as of what to do. "You know, if you think about it, the genie can do anything he wants, with more freedom…than you have…He gave you the most of your power…right?"

"You do have a fairly good point," Francis hummed. "But why are you telling me this?"

"I can't do anything," Gilbert barely shook his head. "I can barely move…Might as well help the winning side…"

"Gilbert!" Matthew and the genie yelled at him at the same time.

"Oui…" Francis muttered. He turned his attention back to the genie, who glared right back at him. "Fine, then. For my third wish, I wish to become an all-powerful genie!"

"Yes, sir," Arthur cast his look to the ground before snapping his fingers.

Matthew got a very bad feeling in his gut as the wind picked up and Francis actually began to glow and even float.

"Maple…" Matthew muttered.

"Birdie, lamp," Gilbert said, but Francis didn't seem to notice.

Matthew glanced at him for a second with an "are you crazy?" look.

"Lamp. Now," Gilbert said louder. That was when Matthew understood. Right under Francis was a lamp that seemed to have just appeared. It was an old fashioned Arabian lamp, like a classic genie from the fairytales… Matthew glanced at Gilbert, not sure what he was up to. "Birdie," Gilbert looked him in the eye, but it was obvious that he was on the verge of collapsing.

Matthew dove for the lamp and quickly tossed it to Gilbert. It hit him in the arm, resulting in apparently immense pain for him, but it slid all the way down his arm and to his fingertips.

"Hey, Francis! Lookie here!" Gilbert called to Francis, who seemed to just then return to reality, and glanced down at him, but his eyes widened at the sight of the lamp. "Not so all powerful, huh?"

"Non!" Francis yelled out and reached towards Gilbert.

"Too late," Gilbert smirked. "I've already rubbed it…Now you gotta grant my wish."

"What do you expect to do to save yourself?" Francis smirked.

"I wish for you…" Gilbert blinked, obviously barely keeping himself awake, "to go back to yourself…when you had no…power…"

Just like that, Francis dropped to the ground, face-down. The lamp at Gilbert's side disappeared and several guards around the pool disappeared as well. Those that were left shook their heads, as if just snapping out of a trance. The four at the edge of the pool quickly got up and started towards them. The genie's eyes widened as his own lamp appeared in his own hands.

"Don't…kill him until…" Gilbert wavered. "I…w…" Gilbert's eyes closed and he relaxed against the wall.

"Gilbert," Matthew said nervously and quickly knelt beside him and checked that he was breathing. It was very ragged and weak, but it was there.

"We need doctors, now!" Ludwig yelled to some of the guards and the rest of them came.

"What happened?" Antonio asked.

"Is he…dead?" Feliciano looked down shakily at Francis.

"Gilbert is a bloody genius," the genie sighed, chuckling slightly. "He's not dead."

"Then what did he do?" Elizaveta asked.

"Erased half of his life," the genie stated.

"How did he do that?" Antonio asked.

"With magic, almost anything is possible," the genie sighed, looking down at his lamp. A couple doctors burst out of the castle with a gurney and Gilbert was carefully lifted into it. The doctors began to assess Gilbert's injuries tentatively. "He wished for Francis to go back to how he was before. And this is how the wish worked out. Half of his life is gone and will never affect him. He will remember what he did, but the memories won't affect him, either."

"He's back to the way he was before what?" Matthew asked. The doctors were muttering amongst themselves and it didn't sound very promising.

"Before he got his first taste of power," the genie sighed. "Not everyone can handle power very well, that is the main reason I am usually only obtainable by certain people, who can handle it. He got something, I'm not sure what, but he didn't react to it well. He wanted more, and continued to obtain it at any cost. I am surprised he managed to stay as sane as he did for so long. Something must have kept him down to Earth."

"Like what?" Antonio asked. "A person?"

"He didn't fall in love with anyone," Matthew shook his head. "He only stayed around the castle and me and Alfred."

"Then that would have been it," the genie nodded. The doctors began arguing amongst themselves quietly. "How long as he been around you two?"

"He was around the entire time we grew up," Matthew muttered.

"He helped to raise you," the genie stated. "Something like that must have done something to him."

"What do we do with him now?" Feliciano asked.

"Gilbert said not to kill him," Matthew stated.

"He is a criminal," Ludwig stated. "He should at least go to the dungeons."

"E-Excuse us," one of the doctors cleared his throat and everyone turned their attention to them. "We have a very big problem."

* * *

**So, Francis got a lot of love last chapter. So people do care about him. I'm going to tell you right now, my first plan was to kill him. But then I developed his character more and decided I really liked him, so I changed how this scene happed. And now I've got this awesome cliffhanger for all y'all to worry about.**

**Please review! I love you all!**


	22. Complications

Chapter 22. Complications.

Matthew was pacing outside of the room. He couldn't help it. The doctors had said that something was very wrong with Gilbert, but Matthew had yet to find out what. Ludwig had some of the best German doctors come in as a second opinion and now Matthew was nervous. He already knew it must have had something to do with his arms and legs.

"I don't think pacing will help any, amigo," Antonio sighed. He, Feliciano, and Elizaveta were sitting on the floor across from the door. They were nervous, too, but Matthew just couldn't sit down.

"I know that," Matthew sighed and stood still, running a hand through his hair. "But I can't help but be concerned."

"I am sure Gilbert will be fine," Elizaveta stated. "He's been through a lot."

"But this could be really bad," Matthew muttered and the door behind him opened. He quickly twirled around and saw Ludwig with his usual, stoic expression on.

"Matthew," Ludwig stated. "You should come in here."

"Uh, r-right," Matthew nodded numbly and followed him inside and closed the door. Matthew couldn't bring himself to look at Gilbert, passed out on the bed, but he could hear the heart monitor and the doctors talking amongst themselves. They were speaking in German, though, so Matthew couldn't even try to comprehend.

"His head and ribs will be fine," Ludwig sighed. "However, his arms and legs are impossible to fix."

"Wh-what does that mean?" Matthew asked.

"It's not just the bones that were broken," Ludwig sighed and Matthew could see that this was actually weighing heavily on him, too. "His nerves and muscles are beyond repair as well. There would be no way, even with the best technology, to fix them."

"So, what happens now?" Matthew muttered.

"They will have to be amputated," Ludwig stated and Matthew bit his lip. "There are prosthetics that will work just like regular limbs, but he would never be able to feel them."

"So, why are you telling me this?" Matthew asked. "And not the others?"

"It is procedure to clear something like this with the patient," Ludwig sighed, glancing at Gilbert. "But he cannot be woken up without causing him extreme pain. So the decision is left to his family. I am the last person blood related to him. Und they found this in his hand." Ludwig held out his hand and, in the palm, was the ring Matthew had given to Gilbert. "As of that announcement a few weeks ago, you are his fiancé."

"Which makes me family," Matthew muttered breathlessly, numbly holding onto the ring once again.

"Ja," Ludwig nodded. "So, what do you say?"

"If it has to be done, then it has to be done," Matthew slowly nodded. "The prosthetic will look just like skin, right?"

"It will, ja," Ludwig stated.

"Don't you think he'd want something more…awesome?" Matthew glanced at Gilbert himself, not wanting to think too much about him being passed out like that.

"Like what?" Ludwig raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know," Matthew shrugged. "I just know that he would want some kind of cool souvenir from all this, not just something that could easily be ignored. He'd just want something awesome."

"There were the first complete prosthetics that were made of metal," Ludwig stated. "Are you thinking about something like that?"

"We've both only known him for a couple of days," Matthew shrugged. "What do you think?"

"Ja, I think that he might prefer that," Ludwig sighed.

"How long do you think it'll take?" Matthew asked, biting his lip once again.

"The surgery should not take very long," Ludwig stated. "But attaching the limbs and making sure they are linked with his nervous system could take quite some time."

"Alright, then, you should get started," Matthew nodded. "We want him to wake up as soon as possible, right?"

"Ja," Ludwig nodded and turned to the doctors. They spoke in German and eventually Matthew was told to leave. Giving Gilbert one last look, Matthew quickly exited and closed the door behind him. The three against the wall immediately stood up, as if anticipating what news Matthew had.

"What happened?" Feliciano asked and apparently Matthew's expression did nothing to help.

"He'll be fine," Matthew reported and everyone relaxed slightly. "But…they have to amputate his arms and legs."

"Why?" Antonio blinked.

"Francis," Matthew muttered darkly, holding on tightly to the ring. He may have had his life erased from him, but that didn't mean Matthew could forgive him. Right now, he was resting in the dungeon, "recovering" from what had happened.

Matthew wasn't sure what he wanted to do at this point. The other three were talking amongst themselves and even trying to give nice words to Matthew. "He'll be okay." Matthew knew he would be fine. A part of him wanted to go to the genie's lamp. But the genie had disappeared into it shortly after finishing talking to them and nothing would get him out. They weren't sure why, but they knew there was no getting him out.

"I'm gonna take a walk," Matthew sighed and started walking down the hall. He knew the other three had no idea what the layout of this castle was and so he knew they wouldn't go to find him. He was walking towards the dungeons, but Alfred turned a random corner and pulled him into a hug.

"I was a total hero there, right, Mattie?" Alfred chimed happily and started walking with Matthew, probably assuming he was off to his room or something.

"Al, not right now," Matthew sighed.

"What? Are you worried I'm hurt or something?" Alfred asked and held up his freshly bandaged hands. "Don't worry, bro, just a few burns."

"Al," Matthew gave him a look that made Alfred blink and shut up.

"Wait, did something happen with, uh…what was his name again?" Alfred asked.

"Gilbert?" Matthew asked and Alfred nodded. "He's fine."

"Then, what's up?" Alfred quickly stood in front of him, making him stop.

"Al, do I look like I'm in the mood to talk?" Matthew let out an exasperated sigh.

"That's why I should be talking to you," Alfred stated.

"If you think I need to let my anger out, I'm fine," Matthew sighed. "Now will you let me be?"

"Let me guess," Alfred crossed his arms over his chest. "Something happened to your mystery man-slash-girl and you're in a bad mood, so you're going to do something involving Francis. I'm guessing just a talk, but it'll be angry anyway."

"Yes, I'm in a bad mood," Matthew groaned. "Now just let me get rid of my angst the way I want to."

"And how do you intend to do that?" Alfred asked.

"Will you just let me go?" Matthew sighed.

"I don't think this is the best way to get rid of angst," Alfred sighed.

"For Dieu's sake, I'm not going to do anything to him," Matthew stated. "Just let me talk with him."

"About what?" Alfred sighed.

"I don't know, about what happened to him?" Matthew ran a hand through his hair. His anger was fading, since Alfred was there and had stopped him. Now that he thought about it, had he not been there, who knows what he actually would have done. "I know you remember 'Big Brother Francis', too. Just let me find out what happened. Please?"

"Fine," Alfred stated. "But I'm going with you."

"Fine," Matthew sighed and started walking around him. Alfred quietly followed him, an achievement Matthew had no idea he was capable of. They easily made it past the multiple guards and into the darkness of the dungeons. There was only one cell occupied, with two guards on either side of the door.

"We want to see the prisoner," Alfred said clearly. He could act like a Prince when he wanted to.

The guard couldn't say anything in defiance to them. After all, this prisoner was no longer dangerous in any way. From Matthew's understanding, he was barely awake at all.

"Can I please go in alone?" Matthew asked his brother as the guard began to unlock the door.

"But-" Alfred's protest was cut short.

"What can he do?" Matthew sighed. "More importantly, what will he do? If the genie's right, then his mind is in the time where I wasn't even born yet. To him, I was still inside Mom."

"I'll be listening closely," Alfred stated and Matthew sighed a little with relief. "If either of you make any sound that makes me think he's going anywhere near you, I'm coming in."

"Fine," Matthew nodded and the door was opened. On the other side, Francis was slowly sitting up from his bed, like he was just waking up. Matthew couldn't help but notice how different he looked. He seemed so…young. Matthew was used to the middle-aged man that would boast about his lovers and took care of him. This man seemed to be something entirely different.

Francis didn't seem to notice him fully until he had stepped in and the door was closed.

"M-Mathieu," Francis blinked and stood up, but Matthew took a step back.

"Don't come near me," Matthew shook his head.

"Ah, oui, you do not trust me," Francis sighed and sat down onto the bed behind him, a bit dejectedly. "I understand."

"I want to know…what happened to you," Matthew stated. "The genie said something about power."

"It was around when you were born," Francis leaned against the wall while sitting on his bed. He seemed to be recalling some fond memory, rather than something that nearly made him go insane. "I was given this small amount of magic; something that could let me open locks or gain control of a mind for a few seconds. I found I wanted more, so I gained more.

"I then found a woman that would tell me my future. She said a boy would take away my power. As I gained more, I found that I could not dare to part with it. I did something that I had felt so ashamed of that I never checked if I had completed my job. You deux boys calmed me down enough so that my pursuit of power was not too…grand.

"As I gained more, my sanity slowly started to leave and all I cared about was more power. I saw the boy I intended to kill all those years ago and was supposed to end my power came back. The Lost Prince of Germany. But he did not seem to know who he or I was. So I had used him in an attempt to achieve more power by the genie. The cave collapsed and I left him there, assuming he had died. I intended to kill him anyway after he came back out.

"But he came back again, as a girl. He seemed to have his eyes on you and so I felt a need to protect you. After I tried once again to kill him, I decided it would be best to keep you and your frère close to protect you."

"You wanted to marry me to protect us?" Matthew scoffed.

"I knew your frère would stay close to you," Francis shrugged. "So far , I have been proven correct, oui?"

"But Gilbert still stole your power," Matthew stated.

"He was able to easily trick me," Francis smirked. "I was far too distracted with my own power to notice until it was too late. I am very thankful to him for getting me out of that…rough patch."

"It's not affecting you in any way?" Matthew asked.

"Non," Francis shook his head. "Je suis trés désolé for the horrible way I was acting."

"I haven't decided if I'm going to forgive you yet," Matthew muttered.

"I know," Francis nodded sadly. "It is very hard for me to trust myself, let alone forgive myself for what I have done."

"Gilbert seems to trust you," Matthew sighed. "If it weren't for him, you would be dead for treason."

"Merci, Gilbert," Francis stated.

"Because of you, he's going into surgery," Matthew gritted his teeth slightly. Of course the man that had done all of this was gone now, just a bundle of memories. "You've tried to kill him four times. I don't know how he trusts you."

"Benefit of the doubt," Francis shrugged. "The same thing you gave him on the street and in your room when you met him as a girl. And what his own frère gave him when he had found him. He knows the importance of it having grown up the way he did."

"He's only grown up this way because you made him," Matthew stated and decided to leave.

* * *

**Translations:  
Deux-two  
Grand-big  
Je suis trés désolé-I am very sorry  
Merci-Thank you**

**Alrighty, so Gilbert's in a hospital bed again. Which really sucks. But we were able to at least get a part of Francis's story. And the whole genie not coming out of his lamp thing will be explained later, after Gil wakes up again. There's not much I have left to say, except that I've noticed that now two people in this story have made fun of Gilbert for being a girl. I'm surprised Antonio hasn't yet.**

**Anyway, please review!**


	23. More Interesting

Chapter 23. More Interesting.

Matthew eventually came back to the group sitting in front of Gilbert's room, Alfred following close behind. No one said anything, which was understandable. People were nervous, despite what they had said about Gilbert being able to handle it. It was a lot to go through.

Matthew could never bring himself to sit down for long periods of time and found himself constantly pacing. Alfred would try to comfort him and say that everything would be alright. A part of Matthew knew that he was right, but another part of him was nervous as hell. Nervous that something would go wrong, or how Gilbert would actually react to fake limbs.

Feliciano and Antonio would fall asleep a few times and when they woke up, they would say something possibly related to the topic. Elizaveta had somehow gotten this journal that she was writing in. Whenever Matthew asked her what she was doing, she would respond with a simple, "Oh, just some ideas for some stories." Matthew had glanced at it a few times when she wasn't looking and found a bunch of notes on him and Gilbert.

But that was easily ignored as Ludwig stepped out of the room once again. Matthew figured that he had been at least helping to work on his brother, considering the King of Germany was actually known to be very capable with medical things. Immediately, everyone in the hallway perked up and, as Matthew was already standing, he was the first to ask.

"How did it go?" Matthew asked as Ludwig blinked in slight surprise at everyone's immediate reaction to him coming out.

"He is fine," Ludwig nodded to them and a unison sigh was let out between them all. "Before you ask, you can see him, but for a short while. The arms are still being tested and then he will be woken up. He will need to be alone for that."

"Let's stop talking and go in," Antonio chimed and Ludwig let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, before stepping aside and opening the door fully for them. Matthew was the first inside to see Gilbert, lying out cold on the bed. He had no shirt, which easily showed off the metal arms connecting at the joint of his shoulder. His other half was covered with a blanket, hiding the metal legs.

"So he really is a guy," Alfred muttered and Matthew immediately elbowed him in the stomach.

"Al," Matthew glared at him and Alfred put his hands up in surrender.

"He looks pretty good with that look," Elizaveta muttered. There were people around Gilbert, working with things that looked like reflexes on the arms, as if to make sure they really worked and were hooked up to his nervous system.

"How long, do you think, until we can see him again?" Antonio asked as Matthew was left practically speechless, watching what they were doing.

"It would be tomorrow," Ludwig stated. "No one will be in here but one doctor when he wakes up and he will have to grow accustomed to the new limbs before anyone can see him."

"He's okay!" Feliciano said cheerfully, giving Matthew a hug. "Isn't that great?!"

"Oui," Matthew smiled, nodding as he did so. It was weird to see Gilbert like this. Even as a girl, he was constantly smiling or proud or talking or…having fun. Now he was quiet and not moving, save for the twitches in his new arms.

"We should leave now," Ludwig sighed, turning towards the door simply and walking out. Feliciano followed him quickly. Elizaveta quickly jotted something down in her "journal" before disappearing out the door with a mention of good luck for Gilbert.

"He'll be just fine, si?" Antonio said reassuringly. Matthew had never really gotten to know the other royalty much before and having so many at once was suffocating, but it was sort of nice to have reassurance with this kind of thing. It was actually rather amazing how quickly Gilbert seemed to pick up friends.

"I have no doubt," Matthew smiled towards him and Antonio nodded happily, making his way out.

"I think I know just what we all need, bro," Alfred chimed happily next to him and Matthew sighed.

"What?" Matthew asked. Alfred usually came up with something random in hopes to "cheer Matthew up." Sadly, his attempts usually worked, though Matthew would never let him know that.

"We all just need to relax," Alfred stretched. "These past couple weeks have fucking sucked for us all and there's a shit ton of paparazzi outside that probably wanna know what's going on. I bet the kitchen's got some spare eggs for a couple Princes and Kings."

"I really don't think Ludwig is about to egg paparazzi," Matthew chuckled, shaking his head. News had spread rather quickly to the outside world when Francis was put out of power and Alfred and Matthew back in. The city turned back to its happy glow, but people were eager to find out about what had happened. Hardly anyone knew. All they knew was some girl turned into the Lost Prince of Germany and he wound up in Germany. Now, apparently he was back here. With more Royalty.

"Feli will totally do it," Alfred laughed. "Eliza, too, she seems cool. Antonio, probably, I don't know him too well. And, if I know you, you'll totally join us."

"Why do you always come up with stupid ideas like that?" Matthew chuckled slightly, shaking his head.

"Come on, dude!" Alfred begged. "Ever since you and Gilbertina found that way up to the roof, I've been trying to find an excuse to go back up! It's perfect! We'll unwind and get rid of the mob. At least for a little while."

"Alright, I'll go," Matthew sighed, but still smiled anyway. "Just shut up, will you?"

"Yes!" Alfred cheered and dragged Matthew out of the room. Matthew sent one last glance in Gilbert's direction, his mind going to the ring he was keeping in his pocket again.

And then their group got a bunch of eggs from the kitchen and Feliciano actually managed to get Ludwig to toss one right onto a camera.

* * *

Gilbert was groggy. He knew he had passed out and it took him a while of thinking before he remembered exactly how. He knew his legs and arms should have hurt…but they were oddly numb. He could hear something like a heart monitor and fought back a groan. How long would he have to stay here this time? His time in hospitals were getting annoying. How did he end up getting hurt so much?

Gilbert slowly got around to opening his eyes and found that his entire body was covered by a white blanket. When he looked around, he found that there was just one man in there with him that he didn't recognize and he was working at a desk.

Gilbert tried moving his hands a bit, just to test if he was restrained again or anything and found that they moved in a rather odd way…and made a weird sound. He still couldn't feel them, or his legs. He knew they weren't numb, that was a different feeling entirely. They just felt like they were gone.

"You are awake," the man stated, turning around. He had a very thick German accent.

"Ja," Gilbert blinked. "I can't feel my arms or legs."

"That is normal," the man stood up and Gilbert was able to quickly realize that he was a doctor. He messed with a few things around Gilbert. Gilbert couldn't help but think about how odd this all was. He was in an empty room, no one around to see him wake up, not even Matthew. He couldn't feel his arms and legs… "Can I get you anything?"

"Ja, water," Gilbert muttered. The man turned around to some sink and Gilbert decided to sit up. His ribs felt a little better and his head throbbed a little less, so that meant they did some medicine work on him. When he had sat all the way up and the blanket fell onto his lap, Gilbert froze. Looking down at his hands, he found them completely metal.

"You were not supposed to sit up yet," the doctor sighed.

"What happened?" Gilbert asked. He tried moving his hand and the metal moved in the same way, just a little clunky. The doctor remained silent, like he was trying to think of some way to explain this. "What happened?" Gilbert repeated himself with a more demanding tone.

"When your limbs were injured," the man said slowly, obviously he didn't use English often, "they were…unfixable. We were forced to cut them off." Gilbert winced slightly. He quickly used this new hand of his to lift up the blanket and saw that his legs were metal as well. "Of course, we asked your family; your brother and…betrothed."

"Betrothed?" Gilbert blinked, looking back at the doctor. "Birdie?"

The man continued, choosing not to reply to Gilbert's questions. "They had decided that, rather than a regular, skin prosthetic, you had metal. They said something about it fitting your personality."

"Ja, well, normal's overrated," Gilbert muttered, looking down at his hands and clenching and unclenching his fists experimentally. "Where is everyone else?"

"You have to be given time to grow used to the new attachments," the doctor stated.

"So, what, we're gonna test if I can pick up shit and help me walk again, like a toddler?" Gilbert sighed and the doctor nodded. "Totally un-awesome…"

"I will give you some time to cope with the idea of new limbs," the doctor muttered and moved back to his desk and Gilbert actually started laughing.

"Cope," Gilbert snorted. "Whatever." Gilbert had grown up on the streets for his whole life, he adapted quickly, no matter what happened. There was a time when he had a dislocated shoulder and he had to figure out how to set it himself. Apparently, he did it right. The idea of metal limbs was pretty awesome, too, the more he thought about it.

It just sucked he couldn't feel with them anymore. He looked closer at the metal on the hands. There were joints just where they should be and it moved pretty smoothly. There were no fake nails, just simple fingers that moved and did what they were supposed to. It was a really simple design, but he imagined that making it took forever and was pretty meticulous.

He couldn't help but wonder as he worked at moving his entire arm how it was connected into his shoulder. And where the legs connected to his hip. A part of him told him he didn't really want to know, but he was curious as hell.

"So, hey," Gilbert said, knowing he got the doctor's attention. "How do you connect these things?"

* * *

**Alright, so Gil's finally awake. And I think this time he's good and won't be forced to go through this again. Unless he's an idiot and does something stupid with these new limbs. Which he might, I don't know. Anyway, the story is wrapping up. And my guess is that there are three chapters left after this one. It's kind of funny, when I wrote down my original plan for this, it was going to be about 16 chapters...Obviously, it didn't turn out that way.**

**Anyway, please review! It'll keep me going and I can hopefully wrap this thing up!**


	24. Hello Again

Chapter 24. Hello Again.

Gilbert was standing and walking in an hour. He probably could have done it in a matter of minutes, but doctor just demanded that he stay sitting down and "coping." It was a little weird with things not exactly moving like they should, but he got used to it rather quickly.

When he woke up, he had shorts on, which he was thankful for, but there was no shirt for him. He didn't really care, especially after his time as a girl. It was actually pretty relaxing as he laid back on the bed, annoying the hell out of the doctor. He had long since started to ignore Gilbert and had decided to only speak in German.

Gilbert was still being annoying, though.

"You know, these things are actually pretty awesome," Gilbert stated, staring at his right arm. "I wonder how much more it'll hurt when I hit someone now…"

Finally, the door into the room opened and Ludwig stepped in. Gilbert smiled and nodded to him as he spoke in German to the doctor.

"Ja," the man replied quickly, standing up and quickly making his way out of the room.

Gilbert burst out laughing. "I'm not that annoying, am I?" he cackled.

"Ja, you are," Ludwig sighed, leaning against the wall across from the bed. "You seem to keep injuring yourself."

"Well, it'll be a lot harder now," Gilbert laughed and easily hopped off the bed. "You and Birdie made a good choice on these. They're way better than those stupid real-looking things. So, how long was I out this time?"

"Around a day," Ludwig stated.

"That's it?" Gilbert smirked. "What the hell did you do to my head and ribs, then? Last I checked, Franny made them a shit ton worse."

"German medicine as well as American-Canadian technology combine very well," Ludwig stated.

"What? Do I have metal ribs, too?" Gilbert laughed.

"Nein," Ludwig sighed. "You were just healed quickly. Try not to overdo it this time."

"What'll I do for fun now?" Gilbert whined jokingly.

"You should take things more seriously," Ludwig stated.

"Und you should take things less seriously," Gilbert smirked.

"You just had a serious surgery, you shouldn't be this comfortable with the idea," Ludwig stated.

"I'm perfectly fine," Gilbert shrugged. "So you should just relax."

"The others are waiting to see you," Ludwig said.

"Gut," Gilbert stretched. "I'm bored, that doctor was just lame. He didn't appreciate mein awesomeness."

"How do they feel?" Ludwig asked and Gilbert knew he meant the limbs.

"Fine," Gilbert shrugged. "Freaked the shit out of me when I woke up. Would've been nice to get a warning, there, Luddie."

"You would not have been coherent with the pain you were in," Ludwig stated.

"Ja, ja, whatever," Gilbert sighed. "When can I see Birdie and the others?"

"Now," Ludwig stated. "One at a time."

"Ugh, that's so lame," Gilbert groaned, throwing his head back. "I think I can handle more than one person at a time."

"It is proper procedure," Ludwig sighed.

"Procedure can suck my dick," Gilbert stated bluntly and sat down heavily onto the bed. "I'm pretty sure I can just walk out that door right now."

"You shouldn't walk long distances yet," Ludwig stated and Gilbert let out another groan, falling back onto the bed.

"This whole hospital thing fucking sucks," Gilbert grumbled. "Out of curiosity, what happens if I go out that door?"

"I have more of what I used to make you sleep in Matthew's room," Ludwig said bluntly.

"Fine, I'll just stay in here," Gilbert muttered. "How long until I am actually permitted to leave?"

"A few days," Ludwig stated.

"Technically, I'm a King," Gilbert stated, staring at the ceiling. "No one can really tell me what to do."

"By your thought process, I am still the King," Ludwig stated. "You would be a Prince."

"Rightful King," Gilbert held up his new hand and pointed his thumb down at himself. "And older bruder."

"Younger bruder with a means of making you sleep for days," Ludwig stated simply.

"Fuck you," Gilbert couldn't help but smirk. "Maybe I should just have Birdie be in here with me. At least he's better company."

"I will get someone, then," Ludwig sighed and Gilbert casually made his way across the bed so that his head and part of his upper body hung over the side. He couldn't help but wonder where Gilbird was. He hadn't seen the little guy in quite a while…was he okay?

There was a small commotion outside and someone quickly darted inside, slamming the door shut behind him. Gilbert was able to quickly figure out that it wasn't Matthew, but rather his brother.

"Hallo," Gilbert nodded. He half expected Matthew to be the first person in here. Then again, there was that commotion and he was pretty sure just by looking at them that Alfred could easily beat him in a fight.

"What are you doing, dude?" Alfred laughed slightly, leaning against the door as it looked like someone was trying to get in. Probably Matthew.

"I'm bored as fuck," Gilbert shrugged slightly. "And Luddie won't let me leave this stupid room."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Alfred shrugged and someone punched the door, but finally gave up at coming in. "So, you're really the Lost Prince, huh?"

"Apparently," Gilbert sat up and turned towards Alfred. "So, why the hell were you fighting your brother to get in first? Did you just fall in love with my awesomeness, too?"

Alfred started laughing, holding onto his stomach as he still held the door back. "I'm not gay, dude."

"You're just missing out," Gilbert shrugged and swung his legs over so that they hung off the foot of the bed.

"Do they feel weird?" Alfred asked curiously, obviously switching between staring at Gilbert's arms and legs.

"They feel like nothing," Gilbert shrugged. "Literally. So, again, why did you beat Birdie in here?"

"Oh, yeah, right," Alfred laughed, like he'd forgotten. "I've never actually seen you as a guy and I wanted to just check you out and make sure Mattie won't get hurt. Because that happened when you flew off."

"Okay, 1, I turned myself into a girl for this boy, so I'm pretty sure that means I like him enough not to hurt him," Gilbert sighed. "2, talk about me as a girl again and I'll punch you in the face with my metal fist. And, 3, I didn't fly off, I was flung. To Germany."

"You wouldn't hit a Prince of America-Canada," Alfred smirked.

"There's only one of them I won't hurt," Gilbert smirked. "And he's on the other side of that door."

"Alright, whatever," Alfred smiled slightly, but still looked slightly serious. "Seriously, though, if you do anything to hurt him, I've got the whole American-Canadian military that can be on your ass."

"Well, I've got my own military," Gilbert boasted before the two burst into laughter. "Yeah, the German military's shit. Forget I said that."

"Sure thing, bro," Alfred said, still stifling some of his own laughter. Gilbert couldn't decide if he liked this kid or if he bugged him. He was a little like him, just a lot less awesome.

"Mind letting Birdie in now?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "As much as I like seeing someone who looks similar to him, I'd like the real deal."

"Yeah, yeah," Alfred finally stood up from the door and opened it, revealing an angry looking Matthew.

"Al, what the hell was that?" Matthew snapped at him.

"Watch your language there, Birdie," Gilbert laughed. "Didn't know you had that in ya."

"I was just talking," Alfred whined. "Jeez, get off my case, Mattie."

"Whatever," Matthew quickly bypassed him to step into the room himself and shoved him out by closing the door.

"You know, I'm actually pretty happy that mein bruder isn't expressive," Gilbert laughed.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Matthew asked him.

"Ja, Birdie, I'm fine," Gilbert smiled. "See?" Matthew quickly pulled him into a hug. Even if Gilbert was still sitting, it was actually kind of nice as he smiled and hugged him back. It sucked that he couldn't feel anymore, but the face full of hair he had right now more than made up for it.

"You're so exasperating to keep track of," Matthew muttered into his chest.

"I'll try to work on that," Gilbert laughed. "Hey, I've got an idea, wanna give it a try?"

"What is it?" Matthew pulled back to give him a confused look.

"Don't worry too much about the what," Gilbert smirked and stood up to give Matthew a quick peck on the lips. "I only care about the who."

"Does this involve getting out of this room?" Matthew sighed.

"Of course," Gilbert laughed. "Luddie can't keep me locked up in here forever."

"Fine," Matthew sighed and Gilbert cheered.

"Just make sure you can keep up," Gilbert smirked and held onto his wrist, going towards the door. Without even a moment of hesitation, Gilbert kicked open the door with flare and ran down the hallway, shouting, "Freedom!"

Matthew laughed behind him as they continued to run. Gilbert still remembered pretty well what the layout of this castle was, so he was pretty sure he knew where he was going. They eventually made it to a door, where Gilbert finally stopped to open and they quickly filed in. They closed and locked the door and Gilbert happily stretched.

"Gott, that felt great," he said happily. Hours of being cooped up in one room was totally not awesome.

"The library?" Matthew asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You were the one that said we would read sometime," Gilbert shrugged. "Why not now?"

"You do realize you don't have a shirt on, right?" Matthew asked, blushing slightly as he looked in the other direction.

"You know you love my awesome body," Gilbert smirked, leaned towards him slightly.

"Um..." Matthew muttered, blushing even more. He stumbled backwards until he hit a wall, where he squeaked.

"You're so adorable, you know that?" Gilbert laughed, hugging him tightly.

"I-I guess," Matthew stuttered.

"We should read, ja?" Gilbert smirked, deciding to give the poor boy a break and pulled back.

"Um, right," Matthew nodded.

"Fair warning, though," Gilbert laughed, turning to one of the bookshelves. "I've never actually read a book before."

"You've never read a book?" Matthew deadpanned.

"Kinda grown up on the street," Gilbert shrugged. "I've never had to."

"I guess that means I'll have to help you?" Matthew asked.

"Of course!" Gilbert chimed.

* * *

**Translations:  
Hallo-Hello**

**Alright, so I'm a terrible person and I haven't been writing much in this story. I am no longer ahead, sadly. That being said, I will try my very hardest to update tomorrow, but it might be two days, depending. I have two chapters left and I am determined as hell to finish this story, trust me. You'll just have to bear with me and I swear it won't take me more than a week to finish this up.**

**As always, please review! It helps me like no freaking other, trust me.**


	25. Loose Ends

Chapter 25. Loose Ends.

"You're not really interested are you?" Matthew asked, glancing at Gilbert, who was practically asleep in the chair next to him.

"Nein," Gilbert shrugged, moving his position in the chair yet again so that he was slung across both arms of the chair. "I thought I would be, but now that I know what's inside those books, I'm pretty uninterested." He was never a really big reader in the first place…

"I figured as much from you," Matthew chuckled, shaking his head. "How did you ever pull off being a princess?"

"Some magic shit Brows said was covered," Gilbert shrugged before actually processing what he had said. "Where the hell is Brows?"

"Who is Brows?" Matthew asked.

"Genie," Gilbert stated, sitting up slightly. "Don't tell me you didn't notice the massive eyebrows on his forehead."

"Um, yeah, I guess," Matthew nodded slightly. "A little bit after you passed out, he disappeared into the lamp. No one's gotten him out. Trust me, if I could have gotten him out, I would have wished for your injuries to disappear."

"What's so bad about metal limbs?" Gilbert laughed. "I'm already used to them, anyway. They're actually pretty awesome. Where's the lamp?"

"Last I checked, Ludwig has it," Matthew shrugged.

"Then we go to Luddie!" Gilbert cheered, swiftly springing up from the chair he was on. Matthew giggled, which did wonders for his self-esteem, and he happily made his way to the door. "Think they're back at my room?"

"Maybe? I don't know," Matthew shrugged, laughing slightly as he stood up from his chair. "You're considering it your room now?"

"Why not?" Gilbert smirked. "Luddie definitely isn't letting me leave here until he deems me worthy of leaving. Und the longer I stay here, the better."

"You're supposed to be a King, though, right?" Matthew asked as Gilbert opened the door and looked around, curious if there was anyone around. Surprisingly, no one was.

"Ja," Gilbert shrugged and started calmly walking and making his way back to where that room was, Matthew easily matching his pace next to him. "But I'm pretty sure that, even as awesome as I am, I'm not qualified to do it. Which means Luddie will probably be helping me. Which means I'll be gone for a while. Which is something I don't wanna do."

"But you have a duty to your country, right?" Matthew smiled softly.

"Und, last I checked, I have a duty to my fiancé," Gilbert smirked. "Who is that again? Right, you, Birdie."

"It was never, technically, official," Matthew blushed, glancing away. "And, technically, I'm betrothed to Maria."

"I'm gonna be given a lot of shit for that, aren't I?" Gilbert groaned.

"Al doesn't seem like he's about to stop any time soon," Matthew giggled.

"Wunderbar," Gilbert sighed as they finally made it to the room. Surprisingly, the group was in there. Feliciano and Antonio were lounging on the bed, Elizaveta sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall, Alfred twirling around in the chair the doctor had used, and Ludwig was simply standing against the desk.

"Hey, they're finally back," Antonio smiled, sitting upright.

"You didn't pull any moves did you?" Alfred asked.

"Please don't tell me I missed anything," Elizaveta perked up.

"I'm offended," Gilbert put a hand up to his heart. "I wouldn't just do something like that."

"Here," Ludwig stated, tossing Gilbert a white shirt that Gilbert easily put on.

"What did you guys go to do?" Feliciano asked happily.

"I tried to read with Gil," Matthew stated and Gilbert smirked.

"You know I was awesome," Gilbert stretched.

"If that's your word for it," Matthew smirked.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Gilbert pouted slightly.

"Nothing, Gil," Matthew laughed.

"Whatever," Gilbert sighed. "Hey, Luddie, lamp."

"Whoa, how did you know he had it?" Feliciano gaped as Ludwig picked up the Arabian lamp from the desk behind him.

"I am awesome," Gilbert smirked as Ludwig tossed it to him and it landed in his hands with a clank.

"I told him," Matthew laughed.

"You take the fun out of everything," Gilbert pouted. "So, you guys are saying he's not coming out?"

"Not to us, at least," Antonio shrugged.

"Then let's see how grouchy Brows likes me," Gilbert smiled and rubbed at the lamp. Unsurprisingly, green smoke poured out of it, which quickly turned into Arthur, who was yawning as if he had just been woken up. "Well, look at that."

"Good, you're alive," Arthur nodded to him, still looking a little drowsy. But he blinked when he apparently got a good look at him. "Bloody hell, what happened?"

"Franny was just an ass," Gilbert shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"Why wouldn't you come out of the lamp before?" Matthew asked.

"It's a kind of safety feature," Arthur sighed. "If one person is in the middle of making their wishes when another person takes the lamp, then it will only respond to those two. Others stealing lamps is not unheard of, so this makes sure it can't get too far. It only ends when both people finish making their wishes."

"Good thing I've only got one more, huh?" Gilbert smiled.

"From the looks of you, it doesn't seem like you need my help with being a girl again?" Arthur smirked.

"No one's gonna cut me slack for that, are they?" Gilbert groaned.

"If you want, I could give you your arms and legs back," Arthur shrugged. "It wouldn't be too difficult."

"Nah," Gilbert nearly laughed. Apparently Arthur had forgotten Gilbert's promise to him when they first met. "I already know what I'm gonna wish for."

"Then make it quick," Arthur stated. "I would just love to head back to that cave and wait for-"

"I wish for your freedom, dip shit," Gilbert really did laugh now and Arthur's face was definitely well worth it.

"Y-You what?" Arthur's jaw dropped.

"Forgot about that, huh?" Gilbert laughed and messed with his hair, which caused Arthur to flinch. "And you were the one that acted like a drama queen about it before."

"I'm…free?" Arthur smiled slightly.

"You're not going to do anything with that last wish?" Alfred asked. "You could make everyone forget you were a girl, you could get your arms and legs back, you could do whatever the hell you want."

"I'm the rightful King of Germany," Gilbert smirked.

"You're what?" Arthur deadpanned.

"I don't think I need anything," Gilbert laughed. "And my arms and legs are now awesome, so why the hell would I get rid of these?"

"And being a girl?" Antonio asked with a grin.

"I'll suck it up," Gilbert sighed slightly.

"Excuse me," Arthur walked towards him. "You're a King?"

"Long story," Gilbert smirked and handed him the now useless lamp. "But, ja."

"And, the lad, Matthew?" Arthur asked.

"Here," Matthew smiled slightly and Arthur glanced at him.

"How the bloody hell do you manage to solve every single one of your problems without using a single wish?" Arthur blinked.

"Hey, I needed you for the one time I almost died," Gilbert smirked. "And to get me back here."

"You're such a…" Arthur stopped, as if searching for the right word.

"Awesome guy?" Gilbert laughed. "Wonderful person? Gorgeous man?"

"Pillock," Arthur finished.

"I will take that as a compliment," Gilbert smirked.

"Don't you have magic now you could use?" Elizaveta asked from her spot on the floor.

"I have absolutely no idea," Arthur shook his head, glancing down at the lamp.

"Well, while you figure that out," Gilbert casually started towards the door, "I have one more thing I'm gonna try to do."

"Gilbert, where are you going?" Ludwig sighed.

"Come on Toni, let's go for a walk," Gilbert smiled and Antonio happily hopped down from the bed.

"Gilbert, where are you going?" Ludwig repeated himself.

"For a walk," Gilbert shrugged. "You worry too much, Luddie."

"With you, I should," Ludwig sighed, but he didn't make any move to follow them as Gilbert turned the corner and Antonio followed him.

"So, where are we going?" Antonio asked.

"Franny," Gilbert said simply. "Figured I should talk to him without people who are ready to kill him for treason."

"And you are taking me because…?" Antonio asked, waiting for him to fill in the blank.

"You are the one in the room with the least amount of reason to want to kill him," Gilbert shrugged. "Besides Feli, but he's not going to be useful."

"What are we going to do?" Antonio blinked.

"Talk," Gilbert shrugged as they made it to where Matthew had said the dungeons were on the tour. It was a long walk down the small hallway where they were stopped by a few guards. But Gilbert was easily recognizable and so they were let through. It was also very easy for Gilbert to tell which cell Francis was in on account of the guards. "We're gonna be talking to him," Gilbert stated to the guards, who moved out of the way.

"Are you sure about this?" Antonio asked.

"Of course," Gilbert shrugged as the door was opened. "My wish did something, right? I'm not sure what the hell it actually did, but it seemed to work."

"Gilbert?" Francis asked as the two stepped into the room and the door was closed behind them. Francis was lounging on the bed in the room, but he was clearly stressed out. And very, very different.

"What the hell happened to you?" Gilbert blinked. Last time he saw him, he was a lot…older.

"You got rid of half my life," Francis shrugged, chuckling slightly.

"Awesome," Gilbert couldn't hold back a laugh. "So, how old are you now, 25?"

"You thought I was 50?" Francis held a face of mock shock.

"You were whatever the hell I wanted you to be," Gilbert laughed and Antonio was even laughing a bit, too.

"Ah, bonjour, King of Spain," Francis nodded to him.

"Buenos días," Antonio nodded to him.

"I have to ask," Francis turned to Gilbert again. "Why did you not have me killed?"

"Ah, Birdie gave me this sob story about you while I was trying to live through the pain of my limbs getting practically torn apart," Gilbert stretched, "und I figured it was worth giving you a shot."

"Well, merci," Francis smiled, giving him a nod. "I owe you my life."

"Yeah, well, that's only if I decide your awesome enough to stick around," Gilbert smirked. "There is one thing I need to do first."

"What is that?" Francis asked.

Gilbert stepped forward, pulling his fist back, before punching Francis right in the face. Francis's head snapped back and he quickly scrambled to hold onto his now bleeding nose. Gilbert couldn't help but laugh; punching with a metal fist really was awesome.

"That's for kidnapping me," Gilbert laughed and then held out the same hand for Francis to take to help him up off the bed.

"Oui, I think I deserved that," Francis shakily smiled and used the hand not covering his nose to grab onto Gilbert's hand and he was soon on his feet.

"Hell yeah, ya did," Gilbert smirked. "On the bright side, you're now under the protection of the German crown, so no one should be able to do that to you again."

"What about you?" Francis turned to Antonio, both of his hands now trying to stop the blood now gushing out of his nose.

"Ah, I trust you enough," Antonio shrugged. "Even though you nearly had me shot at the pool."

"Friends forgive each other, right?" Gilbert laughed, bringing his arms around both their shoulders just as the door opened next to them.

"Gilbert," Matthew sighed. "I should have known you'd come here."

"Then why the hell didn't you follow me?" Gilbert laughed.

"What happened to Francis?" Matthew asked.

"He punched me," Francis said simply, but he was laughing anyway.

"Now, one last thing I just thought of!" Gilbert said happily and unwrapped himself from the two to hug Matthew and get a face-full of hair before pulling back. "There are a shit ton of reporters outside, ja?"

"Um, yes," Matthew nodded slowly.

"Then we go!" Gilbert announced happily and spun Matthew around as they began walking back to the castle.

"W-wait, what?" Matthew asked. Antonio apparently decided to stay with Francis in the cell.

"Well, just think about all those un-awesome rumors that are going to be spreading right now," Gilbert smirked as they easily made their way through the hallways. "Might as well give them the true story before they start saying things that could actually be worse."

"Worse than what actually happened?" Matthew laughed slightly.

"People are crazy, what can I say?" Gilbert laughed and started for the front door.

"You can't be seriously going out there," Matthew shook his head with a smile.

"Why not?" Gilbert smirked. "I would love to re-tell my awesome story."

"Yes, awesome is the word," Matthew chuckled as Gilbert dramatically opened up the apparently really heavy front doors. Immediately, cameras began flashing and people starting talking over each other so much, Gilbert couldn't even understand them. Gilbert couldn't help but smile to himself at all the attention.

"I knew you'd agree with me," Gilbert cackled.

There was a small tweet above his head and he saw a little ball of yellow make its way down to nest in his hair. He laughed, going to pet Gilbird before braving the crowd in front of him.

* * *

**So I managed to write this yesterday with some random inspiration. I don't know. But now all that's left is the Epilogue and I shall be done! I feel like I'm dragging this on a bit, but Gil had a lot of loose ends that needed tying up. And now Francis is chill. Fair warning, there's gonna be a time skip to the epilogue, so don't be alarmed.**

**As always, please review! It really does help!**


	26. Epilogue

Chapter 26. Epilogue.

"Gilbert," a voice called and Gilbert was roughly shaken out of his awesome dream.

"What?" Gilbert groaned, barely opening his eyes.

"We've landed," Ludwig stated and Gilbert was immediately on his feet.

"You need to tell me these things sooner, Luddie," Gilbert patted him on the back. It had been months, several long months, since he'd been in America-Canada. He'd been through all the stupid, rough training that came with being an actual King and he still wasn't done, but he had actually managed to get Ludwig to let them go on "vacation."

Gilbert didn't even wait for the door to be opened for them before he was off the plane. Last time he did this, he had crash landed and it was nice to see the slick, black car waiting to take them to New York City.

"You need to learn to be more patient," Ludwig sighed, following him into the car.

"What if I told you I was able to pull a few strings and your little boyfriend was going to be here, too?" Gilbert smirked.

"You got Feli to come?" Ludwig asked, unperturbed by Gilbert's teasing as he was used to it by now.

"And Franny and Toni," Gilbert stretched happily, his arms clanking slightly as he did so. But he was used to the noise by now. "I figured we might as well have fun, right?"

"How did you get them to come?" Ludwig asked.

"Well, Toni apparently has nothing better to do," Gilbert shrugged. "Franny needs to de-stress from trying to get trust again all the way in France, and Feli was more than happy to see you again. Besides, Lovi's got Italy covered for a week on his own."

"You should learn to sit up straighter," Ludwig sighed, but Gilbert knew a "thank you" when he heard one. They were hard to come by with Ludwig.

"I can sit however I damn well please," Gilbert smirked and slouched more in his seat.

The two continued as the car went through the city, gathering attention, before it stopped in front of the castle. Gilbert could vaguely see a group of people in front of the entrance and immediately tore out of the car. He was slightly blinded by the brightness around them, but he could easily see his target in the group and ran right for him.

Matthew (his target) looked pretty startled at first, but just stood there and allowed himself to be scooped up by Gilbert into a massive hug.

"Birdie!" he chimed happily before pulling Matthew into a kiss.

"Hey, Gil," Matthew panted as they separated. "You do know the paparazzi are out here, right?"

"Oh, then maybe I should give them more of an awesome show," Gilbert winked before tripping Matthew and pulling him into a dip. Matthew yelped slightly and Gilbert finally noticed the flashing of cameras around them.

"Quit embarrassing my brother," Alfred sighed behind them.

"Si, let's get inside," Antonio laughed slightly.

"Alright," Gilbert swiftly picked Matthew up, princess style, receiving a squeak from the poor Prince.

"I see months of training to be a King has done nothing to you," Arthur's voice sighed behind him as they entered the castle and the doors closed with a resounding thud behind them.

"Brows?" Gilbert asked and swiftly turned around. He actually got a good look at everyone that was there. There was Francis, Antonio, Matthew, and Alfred, of course. But there was also Alfred and Elizaveta, who was holding a camera, happily taking pictures. Gilbert gave her a glare before setting Matthew down. "What the hell are you still doing around here?"

"I've been, uh, keeping him company," Alfred chimed, wrapping an arm around the former genie.

"Get the hell off me," Arthur snapped at him and elbowed him in the gut.

"More like Al's been annoying the hell out of him," Matthew laughed.

"Hey!" Alfred whined.

"You are rather annoying," Arthur smirked.

"Says the one that destroys the kitchen every time he tries to use it," Alfred stuck out his tongue at him.

"So, Birdie, what did I miss?" Gilbert asked.

"We're all over the news," Matthew rolled his eyes. "You should know."

"And I've been Prince training like nobody's business," Gilbert sighed. "TV comes rarely in-between sleep and knowing which fucking fork I need to use."

"Hm, well, I still have some work to do, since you didn't bother to tell me you all were coming," Matthew sighed. "So, you're going to have to find something to do while I'm busy."

"You didn't warn them?" Ludwig sighed.

"It's a surprise visit," Gilbert smirked. "You're not supposed to warn people ahead of a surprise visit."

"You do when they're royalty," Matthew chuckled. "Sorry, but I do have to go."

"Party pooper," Gilbert grumbled, but gave Matthew one last hug before he left with Alfred, who was dragging Arthur back with him.

"And I am going to leave before you three do something I know I won't like," Elizaveta sighed, looking at Francis, Antonio, and Gilbert.

"You wound us, mademoiselle," Francis put a hand up to his heart.

"I remember clearly what happened last time," Elizaveta stated. "And just for that, I keep my frying pan close."

"And we won't bother you," Gilbert chimed, not wanted to be whacked by that devil frying pan again.

"We should go with Eliza, Ludwig!" Feliciano chimed happily.

"Stay out of trouble," Ludwig gave Gilbert a harsh glare and Gilbert put up one of his pinkies.

"I promise, Luddie," Gilbert sighed, but still smiled.

"Gut," Ludwig nodded and followed as Feliciano dragged him after Elizaveta as they went off somewhere in the castle.

"So, what do we do now?" Antonio asked.

"Now…" Gilbert thought for a second. "We drink."

* * *

The castle had its own bar. But the Bad Touch Trio (a nickname the three had picked up after a short amount of time) found that idea boring, so they went to a bar in the city instead. Immediately upon entering, they were bombarded by people who wanted to gawk at them and paparazzi that seemed to follow them everywhere. Even the bartender had "nonchalantly" raised the prices for all the drinks.

The three did have a lot of fun there, though. Messing with people and kicking out the paparazzi. Antonio and Gilbert even managed to get Francis so drunk, he fell over when he tried to sit down.

"Gilbert," a soft voice sighed behind Gilbert and he leaned back as much as he could and tipped his head back to find an upside down Matthew.

"Hey," Gilbert smiled at him.

"What are you doing?" Matthew asked.

"Having a good time?" Gilbert laughed and sat upright before turning around to look at Matthew properly.

"Don't tell me you're actually drunk," Matthew practically pleaded.

"Nah," Gilbert said with a wave of his hand. "It takes a lot to get me drunk, I'm German. Francis, though, is long gone," Gilbert couldn't stop himself from laughing as Francis tripped again and let out a long line of French curses.

"Why did you have to go into the city?" Matthew sighed and Gilbert could see plenty of paparazzi looking at them expectantly, as if waiting for another moment, especially now that Gilbert was "drunk."

"It's more fun," Gilbert chimed happily, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We can go somewhere more quiet if you want."

"Where are you thinking?" Matthew raised an eyebrow.

"It's a surprise," Gilbert hummed. "Hey, Toni, think you can take care of Francis while I go out with Birdie?"

"Si, I think I can," Antonio stated, staring in interest as Francis tried to get up off the floor. "As long as he doesn't drink anymore."

"I think you'll be better off if he does," Gilbert laughed, sitting up from a barstool. "Then he'll just pass out."

"Good idea," Antonio laughed and Gilbert grabbed onto Matthew's hand and pulled him out of the bar, a lot of people following them.

"Think you can still run like you did when I met you on the streets?" Gilbert grinned.

"Only if you can keep up," Matthew smirked and they started off running.

Gilbert reveled in the feeling of running through the crowds again. Having to weave through in hopes of not bumping into anyone that could stop him, to have the adrenaline rush back after having everything done for him for the past couple months. It was refreshing, more so than anything Gilbert had felt in what felt like forever. His metal limbs were keeping up pretty well, too, and he found that he actually got less tired than he would have without them.

When Gilbert knew they had lost anyone following them, he turned a sharp corner behind a building and stopped. Matthew was there only a few seconds later, panting.

"What are we doing?" Matthew asked and Gilbert looked up the side of the building, happy that it had a fire escape.

"Reliving old times," Gilbert smiled and started for the fire escape, pulling down the ladder.

"Don't tell me we're building hopping again," Matthew laughed as he followed him up the fire escape.

"We can see if I still know how to get that great view," Gilbert laughed. "And this time we won't have someone to come and arrest me. You know, hopefully."

Matthew just laughed and soon they were on top of the building. Gilbert loved the feeling of the wind rushing past them and the feeling he got looking down the building and seeing where he would drop if he missed a step.

"Do you trust me?" Gilbert asked, holding out his hand.

"Yes, I think I do," Matthew smiled and took hold of the metal. They started running and jumped the first gap, onto the next building. Gilbert couldn't help but cheer out loudly at this new found freedom. He never would have thought he would miss living on the streets.

Matthew was better at this than the last time, Gilbert noticed, only almost falling once and Gilbert easily hoisted him back onto the building. They continued, the sun beginning to set around them. Luckily, they had gotten to their destination just when the sun disappeared behind the taller buildings around them.

"Should I tell you to close your eyes?" Gilbert smirked as they panted and walked to the end of the building. Below them was the plaza, where no matter what time of day, there were people bustling around like their lives were ending. Lights were up everywhere with the falling sun and it had a beautiful air about it.

"This totally tops the roof of the castle," Matthew laughed, sitting down on the edge and letting his feet dangle.

"I've tried to find a view like this in Germany," Gilbert sighed, sitting down next to him. Matthew laid his head on his shoulder. "But Luddie won't even let me try climbing a building there."

"He almost acts like the older brother," Matthew giggled.

"There was also one other thing I was missing in Germany," Gilbert smirked, looking down at the top of Matthew's head.

"Don't be sappy, Gil," Matthew laughed, but Gilbert knew he was blushing anyway.

"When the hell is that wedding of ours, again?" Gilbert asked, glancing at his hand where the ring rested.

"A few months," Matthew sighed. "Once you actually become a King."

"You do know that the world doesn't believe the bullshit of marriage to ally the two countries, right?" Gilbert smirked.

"We're saying that because a lot of people still don't like the idea of the people ruling them being gay," Matthew looked up at him, locking their eyes.

"They just don't know how to deal with the awesomeness of the idea," Gilbert smirked. "It is just a royal thing right now, after all. Eventually, the world will catch on to the trend and we'll all be gay!"

"Whatever you say, Gil," Matthew laughed.

"They'll all have to turn themselves into girls first, though," Gilbert said proudly. "Otherwise they're not really gay."

"What about the girls?" Matthew chuckled.

"They turn into guys, of course," Gilbert stretched. "Which'll be good for them. Being a girl's a pain in the ass."

"But you were only a girl for a few days," Matthew giggled.

"And it sucked," Gilbert stated. "Never do it."

"But wouldn't I have to turn into a girl to be a part of your gay club?" Matthew laughed.

"Just wear a dress at the wedding and we'll call it good," Gilbert cackled.

"Mm…no deal," Matthew pulled away slightly.

"You're no fun," Gilbert smirked before pulling Matthew into a kiss.

* * *

**Yay, lame ending is lame, but I finished it! I promised I would and I did! So, hah! Everyone's happy, except for maybe Francis tomorrow morning.**

**I'm going to be coming out with hopefully three new stories sometime soon. They will be "Bulletproof", "Survival Game", and "Back in Time". Look out for those in maybe a week or so.**

**Anyway, please review, as always.**

**And I do not own Hetalia or Aladdin. If I did, obviously this story wouldn't be a fanfic, it would be the real thing.**


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